


The Consequences of Our Actions

by Dreamsinlilac



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-25
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2019-08-07 10:30:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16406735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamsinlilac/pseuds/Dreamsinlilac
Summary: In "The Consequences of Our Love", we saw Ada and Hecate become parents to their twin girls. Now, the girls are grown up, we look at what has happened in the intervening years, and just what caused the rift with Auntie Agatha.





	1. Surprise

**Author's Note:**

> As promised, the sequel to "Consequences" 
> 
> Updates will be more spaced out for this one, I can't give a definite timing right now, though rest assured I have the upcoming chapters ready and have no intention of leaving it unfinished, or stopping writing despite my longer than anticipated break. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy and thank you to my wonderful S for the feedback and encouragement.

“Whew.”

From the corner of her eye, Maud glanced at her new friend, watching as she let out a long breath. “Are you okay Millie?” 

Was she okay? Mildred thought for a moment before answering. In a short time, she had discovered that she had magical abilities, had left her Mum, her home, her school and all her friends to study at a Witches’ Academy where many of the students looked at her like she had two heads and five arms. And apparently, helping to defeat Agatha did nothing to help her be more accepted, Ethel Hallow was still the meanest girl she had ever met, and Miss Hardbroom regarded her as if she belonged in a specimen jar. 

Still, she had made a true friend in Maud, and some of the other girls seemed very kind and eager to get to know her. And the teachers weren’t all bad, Miss Bat was lovely, and Miss Drill reminded Mildred of some of the younger, more relatable teachers at her high school. “My old high school”, she told herself. 

And of course, there was Miss Cackle, who with her gentle encouragement and good nature, had already made a significant impression on Mildred, who couldn’t help smiling when she remembered the special words the principal had shared with her in the aftermath of the Agatha debacle. 

“You may be new to magic Mildred, but you will learn. And what you have in spades is compassion and common sense, don’t lose that because all of those elements combined will help to make you a wonderful witch one day.” 

Mildred’s smile increased as she saw the woman in question strolling down the courtyard. She looked lost in thought, and Mildred could only hope that what had happened with her twin hadn’t upset her headmistress too much. For a moment she thought maybe she and Maud should go over and say hello, in fact, she was just about to suggest it to her friend, but then she noticed something slightly off.

Mildred blinked once, but when she opened her eyes again, she knew she wasn’t imagining things. There, lurking at either side of the archway were two figures waiting to jump out and attack the unsuspecting headmistress. 

“Quick.”

Before Maud could react, Mildred was up and shouting something at Miss Cackle while at the same time, running across the courtyard at high speed. 

“Miss Cackle, Miss Cackle.”

As she reached the archway, Ada was snapped out of her thoughts by someone shouting her name. It took a moment for her to place the voice but then she saw her newest student running towards her at an alarming rate. “Mildred, what on earth?”

“They’re waiting for you.”, Mildred gasped. “There, under the arch. Maybe Agatha wasn’t on her own, Maybe…”

“My dear, calm yourself please.” Ada placed her hands on the shaking girl’s shoulders. “Who is waiting?”

Mildred’s eyes grew wide as the two hidden figures stepped out of the shadows and one of them, a young woman, dressed in jeans, a grey t-shirt and trainers answered the question that she couldn’t. 

“That would be us.”

As she heard a voice she would know anywhere, Ada’s heart leapt in her chest. Could it possibly be? She turned quickly on her heel and received her answer. 

“Hello, Ma.” 

In shock, Mildred watched Miss Cackle rush towards these two strangers and embrace them tightly, kissing them as she held them close and murmured the same words over and over again. “My girls, you’re here, you’re really here.”

“We wanted to surprise you.” 

This time it was the second girl who spoke, fixing a still astonished looking Mildred with a pointed look as she did so. Facially she seemed exactly like her companion but was dressed in a completely different style. Mildred remembered seeing a group of people dressed in a similar way at an antique fair she had attended the previous year. Steampunks, her Mum had told her when she had stopped to stare, in much the same way she was now, something she only realised when she became aware that two sets of dark brown eyes were gazing right back at her over Miss Cackle’s shoulder. 

Maud, who had finally reached Mildred side was also grinning broadly as she saw who Miss Cackle was holding onto tightly. “Oh wow.”

“Who are they?”, Mildred whispered.

“That’s Seren and Celeste.”, Maud answered with a smile as she waved at the girls, one of whom waved back in excitement, while her companion continued to look at Mildred in a very familiar way. It was only a few whispered words from Miss Cackle that seemed to break the mood and caused the young woman to break into a shy smile, wrap her arms around the principal’s waist and squeeze tightly.

“Who?” From the reactions of the students who had started to gather around in a frenzy of excitement, Mildred could see she was in the minority by not recognising the names. 

“Seren and Celeste.” Maud suddenly realised that Mildred was missing some vital information. “Cackle. They’re Miss Cackle’s daughters. And…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the main door to the castle opened, and a formidable figure dressed in black stood at the top of the stairs and regarded the commotion below. 

Suddenly Mildred knew why the pointed look she had been receiving seemed so familiar. “Surely not?”

“And Miss Hardbroom’s”, Maud whispered as their potions mistress realised precisely what, or in this case, who, was the cause of all the excitement. 

Mildred felt her jaw drop as she took in this astonishing fact. “D….Daughters?”

“Yes.”, Maud nodded. “They’re twins. Honestly, Mildred, they’re so lovely, you’ll really like them.”

She may have had her doubts about that, but Mildred was too busy observing what was happening to voice them. She watched as both Seren and Celeste stepped forward slightly, Miss Cackle right behind them as they stood at the bottom of the steps, and looked at their other parent before bowing slightly and addressing her,

“Well met Miss Hardbroom.”

Her face completely impassive, Hecate returned the gesture. “Well met Seren. Well met Celeste.”

Ada, aware that this wasn’t the optimum location for a family reunion, placed her hands on the small of each girls' backs and pushed them forward gently. “Shall we go inside?.” Then, with a broad smile, she turned to address the gathered student population. “Miss Hardbroom and I will be busy for a little while. Esmerelda, can you let Miss Drill know she’s in charge. And…..”, she beamed brightly. “Tell her our girls are home.”

As soon as the door closed behind the family, the noise from the students grew louder. 

“Did you see what Celeste was wearing, wasn’t it wonderful?”

“Have I ever told you about the time Seren helped me prepare for my potions exam? I wouldn’t have passed without her.” 

It seemed there was only one girl who had nothing to say, the same girl whose eyes remained fixed on the closed door with a strange look on her face while her schoolmates gossiped happily around her. 

“Millie, you okay?” For the second time in less than ten minutes, Maud asked the question, her words seemingly bringing Mildred back from whatever she was thinking. 

“You could have told me.” Mildred gave her companion a wry look. “Stopped me from looking like a fool. Again.”

“I’m sorry.”, Maud shrugged. “I would have, it’s just, well, there’s been so much happening since you arrived, and I didn’t get a chance.”

It was a fair point and never one to hold a grudge, Mildred felt her irritation fade away. “Fair enough, it’s just…. I can’t believe they have children. Well, Miss Cackle maybe, but not Miss Hardbroom. Did you see her face? It looked like she didn’t even want to see them.”

Maud shook her head. “Millie, that’s not true.”

“It certainly looked like it.”

Mildred couldn’t have known it, not yet anyway, but not too far away, Hecate Hardbroom was proving just how wrong she was. 

“We’re fine, Honestly.” Celeste laughed as cool hands stroked along her shoulders, almost as though they were checking for injuries in the same way they had whenever she or her sister had fallen over as children. 

“She knows that.” Ada was misty-eyed as she watched her wife reach for Seren, roll her eyes slightly at what their eldest child was wearing, then kiss her while making sure she too was in pristine condition. 

“Go on; you know you want to say it.” Seren raised an eyebrow, challenging her mother to say what was on her mind.

“As you have reminded me on more than one occasion, you are an adult and can choose your own clothes. And if that means you want to wear those things, then I will accept that.”

“They’re called jeans as you well know.”, Seren gave an exaggerated sigh. “And they’re comfortable, something you and my darling sister clearly don’t know much about.”

“This is the most comfortable outfit I own.” Celeste gestured at her bustle skirt, ruffled shirt and fitted velvet jacket. “Perfect for flying.” 

“You both look lovely.”, Ada interjected. From being very small, their girls had always had individual styles, just as she and Hecate did. Seren had always gone for comfort, loving trousers, leggings jumpers, t-shirts, trainers, boots and on only special occasions, dresses and skirts. 

Celeste, on the other hand, had been fascinated by Hecate’s wardrobe from a very early age. Then, as she got older, she put her own slant on what she deemed her mother’s gothic style by adding more modern twists and accessories. Case in point, the top hat adorned with flying goggles she was still wearing. 

“You do.”, Hecate agreed, pulling the girls to her and gesturing to her wife to join them. 

“Our team is back together.” Ada sighed with happiness. “We’ve missed you, and we’re dying to hear all about your travels.”

"And why you didn’t tell us you were coming home.” There was no irritation behind Hecate’s statement. How could there be when their little family was back together after three months apart? 

“We wanted to surprise you.”, Celeste whispered. “And we would have, except that silly girl ruined it.”

Hecate caught Ada’s eye and let out a resigned breath. “I do not need to ask which girl, do I?”

“No.”, Ada agreed. “Mildred Hubble coming to my rescue again.”

“Again?” Seren looked between both her parents. “What’s been happening?”

There was another glance shared between Hecate and Ada before Hecate made a suggestion. 

“Let’s sit down; there’s something you should know.” 

Over a tray of tea and biscuits that Ada summoned from the kitchen, Ada and Hecate explained the events of the previous day as best they could to their two anxious-looking girls.”

“Were you going to tell us?”, Seren asked. 

“Yes.”, Hecate promised. “It was always our intention to tell you when you got home; we just didn’t expect that to be for another week.”

“You could have mirrored us.” Seren wasn’t finished. “You could have told us that you were in contact with her again.”

“Your mother has just told you, we intended to tell you when you got home.” Ada firmly told both girls. “We weren’t keeping anything from you. We were not in contact, we had no idea that she was going to show up here, and before you ask, neither did Nanny.”

“So you just let her in here?” Seren was incredulous. “After five years. No questions asked. You just agreed to let her interview you both for a website.”

Ada blinked back tears as she shook her head. “I did ask questions, though obviously not enough. And you’re right to be frustrated at me, my darling girl. I’m frustrated with myself. I feel so foolish, so silly to have let her worm her way in and con me again.”

Hecate looked at Ada sympathetically. “It wasn’t just you. Despite my reservations, I still managed to have a conversation with her thinking it was you.” 

“What?”, Seren squeaked. Her mother had always been eagle-eyed when it came to Agatha. “How? What did you talk about?”

“You.” Hecate heard a soft gasp from her right and knowing why, squeezed her youngest daughter’s hand gently. “I had arranged to meet your mother in here after the entrance exam. And so when I came in and found who I thought was my wife looking at the picture wall, I thought nothing of it.” 

Hecate knew it was because Agatha had never turned around that she hadn’t recognised her. Past experience gave her absolute certainty that had she looked into her eyes, she would have instantly known it wasn’t the woman she loved standing in front of her. But, as she and Ada had agreed the night before, there was no point dwelling on if- onlys.

“I suppose.” Seren agreed. “What did she say?”

“She said that you were remarkable.” Hecate debated whether to expand a little and on seeing the subtle nod from Ada, expanded a little. “She was looking at the pictures of your eighteenth birthday as she did so. I smiled, agreed with her, and was even about to embrace her except Gwen knocked on the door and interrupted.”

Ada took up the story. “Then it all started to happen, and quite honestly, if it wasn’t for your mother’s quick thinking and Mildred Hubble’s bravery, you might well have come back to a snail as your Ma.” She smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes, not until Seren, her eyes damp with emotion, snuggled up against her and kissed her cheek. 

“I’m happy you’re not a snail.”

Hecate agreed. “As am I.” She was trying not to dwell too much on the memory of her beloved shrinking to a mollusc in front of her eyes, but it wasn’t easy. Neither was banishing the memory of having to congratulate Agatha on her new position, something that made her feel sick to her stomach every time she thought of it. 

Suddenly the sobs Celeste had been trying her best to hold back, broke through. “I thought she was gone for good.”

Before she knew it, she was wrapped in Hecate’s strong arms and rocked as Ada and Seren joined them on the couch. 

“You don’t have to worry.”, Ada whispered. “She’s no threat; she won’t harm you.”

“We won’t let her.”, Hecate promised fiercely. “You are our daughters, you are our world, and no matter how old you are, we will do everything we can to keep you safe.”

“We want you to be safe too.” Seren murmured. “We’re a team remember, right Cel?”

Although Celeste wanted to agree, there was really only one thing she could say. “Why did it have to go so wrong?”


	2. The Unexpected Babysitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, to find out what what happens in the future, we need to go back to the past and understand what happened between Agatha, Ada, Hecate, Seren and Celeste over the years.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your comments and thoughts on Chapter 1, I hope this chapter gives you an understanding of the approach I will be taking with this tale, and that you enjoy it.

It was 4:17 AM and Ada was awake, and unfortunately alone in bed. For a moment she considered rolling over and going back to sleep, but the murmurs she could hear coming from the room to the right were enough to lure her out of bed, into her slippers and dressing gown and creeping to the room next door. There, she stood in the doorway and watched the scene in front of her with delight. 

“That is my hair Seren and pulling it may be fun for you, but it is not for me.” Hecate was smiling softly as she gently released her daughter’s hold on her hair while at the same time managing to ensure she was drinking from the bottle at her lips. 

“That grip of hers is getting stronger by the day. And you should have woken me; I would have taken care of her.” 

“It is.” The smile was still on Hecate’s lips, but there was also a sympathetic look in her eyes. “And I wanted you to get some more sleep.” As she spoke, a soft cry came from the other occupant of the room, and she gave a resigned sigh. “Though perhaps your entrance was well timed.”

Although, over the past few months she had grown far more comfortable when it came to looking after both girls at once, she’d be lying if she said that having Ada with her didn’t boost her confidence, especially now that the children were so much more active and aware. 

“Perhaps it was.” Ada reached into the cot and picked up a distressed looking Celeste, drawing her close and soothing her softly. “Shhh, my lovely girl. Are you hungry?” She sat on the small couch next to Hecate, unbuttoned her nightdress and held Celeste to her breast. “Good girl.”

As Ada nursed Celeste, Hecate lifted Seren to her shoulder and winded her. As she did the six-month-old caught a glimpse of her sister and started to squeal with excitement while flapping her hands around. In return, Celeste’s eyes grew wide, and her left arm left her mother’s chest and mirrored the actions of her twin. 

“Anyone would think they hadn’t seen each other in months, not hours.”, Hecate commented as she rocked Seren slowly in a move she hoped would settle her enough to go back to sleep. 

Ada nodded in agreement. “They are very close, even at this age. And their little personalities seem to compliment each other well. Seren may be more vocal while Celeste is that bit quieter, but they’re both so curious and fun loving.”

“And sleepy.” Hecate laughed as Seren gave a little snore against her shoulder. Celeste had also lost the battle against keeping her eyes open and having had her fill of milk, was resting her head on Ada's breast. 

“That they are.”, Ada whispered, easing herself off the couch and laying Celeste in her cot while Hecate did the same with Seren. “You know.”, she kept her voice low as Hecate stood behind her, wrapping two arms around her waist as they watched their girls sleep peacefully. “It’s a year to the day since I found out I was pregnant. It was all such a shock, and so frightening, but now I know, it was completely worth it. I can’t imagine life without them.” 

“I know.” Hecate reached down and trailed her fingers gently along Celeste’s dark hair. “And while I was petrified when you told me and throughout your pregnancy, I honestly say, I wouldn’t change a thing about our little family.”

“Good.” Ada beamed before turning and pressing a kiss against Hecate’s jaw. “But as lovely as watching them is, we should get some sleep. We’ve got busy days ahead of us tomorrow.”

Hecate nodded but made no move to leave. 

“Are you coming love?”, Ada asked softly. 

“In a minute.” Hecate gave a shy shrug. “During the day everyone wants them, Gwen, Algernon, the students, your Mother. And I know we’re so grateful for all the help we receive, we would not be managing half as well without it. But I treasure the time we get alone with them, even if it is time we should be using to sleep.’

Ada kissed Hecate again, this time a soft press of their lips together. “I know exactly how you feel, it’s the same for me. So if I can suggest a compromise?”

At Hecate’s nod, she pointed towards the sofa, instantly turning it into a bed big enough for two. “This way we can get some sleep and still be with our girls.” 

“You are a genius.”, Hecate told her as she crawled into the bed, gave a quick glance towards the two cots before pulling the covers over them and settling down to doze next to the love of her life for a couple of hours until the day had to start again. 

The madness began in earnest the following morning. Seren and Celeste, who were both only getting used to solid food had decided that cereal was lovely but throwing it was even more fun than eating it. Hecate, having expected such antics after the strained carrot incident of the previous week, had rolled her eyes and cast a spell to clean her dress, subtly doing the same for Gwen who would have swanned around all afternoon with porridge dripping down her back. “Probably longer than that.” Hecate thought to herself having cleaned both of them, as well as her giggling girls up. 

“Little witches should be clean and tidy at all times.” She told the twins as she kissed them, then placed them both on the play-mat Ada had just laid out ready for an afternoon with Nanny Alma.

“Where’s the fun in that?” A familiar voice drawled from the doorway, causing Seren and Celeste to break into a frenzy of excitement. 

“Agatha. Well met.” Ada wasn’t displeased to see her sister, in fact, it was the opposite, she was as happy as her daughters to see Agatha. “We didn’t know you were coming. When did you get back? How were your travels?”

“This morning, and it was terrific. I met some marvellous people and got some writing done. But three weeks was too long to be away from these two beauties, so when I heard it was mother’s afternoon to babysit, I asked if I could come with her.

“She begged me.” Alma pushed past her daughter and entered the room. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”

“Of course not.” Hecate inclined her head towards Agatha. “Welcome back.” 

“Thank you.” Agatha gave a quick nod before focusing all her attention on her nieces. “And well met my little friends. Have you missed me?” She laughed in delight as Seren clapped her hands. “I’ll take that as a yes. And how about you?” she turned her attention to Celeste, “Did you miss me too?”

Celeste didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she stared at her Aunt for a moment before turning her head towards her mother. She repeated the move several times, becoming more confused by the second. 

“Yes, there are two of us.” Ada, along with the other adults in the room as laughing as she knelt in front of her daughter, taking the tiny hands in hers and kissing them. “And people will look at your and your sister in the same way because you’re also identical twins. Yes, you are." 

Agatha, who had joined Ada on the mat chimed in. “But the people who know you and love you will always be able to tell you apart and know that although you look the same, you’re different people.”

Behind her, Alma bristled, then let out a loud sigh. “For goodness sake, I called you Ada by mistake this morning, are you going to hold that against me all day?”

“Just for a few hours longer maybe.” Agatha shared a discreet smile with Ada before remembering something. “I have presents for these two.” With a flick of her hand she summoned a bag, then pulled out a panda which she placed in front of Seren and a monkey that she handed to Celeste. “All the way from Asia.”

Alma tutted. “I told you to ask me before you brought them any more rubbish. Are they even suitable for them? They’re still very young you know.”

“They’re soft toys.” Agatha rolled her eyes causing Celeste to break into giggles, which in turn had Seren, then Ada laughing. “They’re fine.

“Absolutely fine.”, Ada echoed, kissing each twin before getting up from the floor. “I’m sure they’ll have a lovely time with them and Auntie Agatha while their Mummy and I are at work.” She placed her hand gently on her sister’s shoulder. “Thank you, though quite honestly, you being here is the best gift you could give them. They are rather fond of you.”

“They are.”, Hecate agreed as she too kissed her children, subtly casting a spell on the toys to make them extra safe. “Thank you for the gifts. We’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

There wasn’t a peep from either girl after their parents left the room. They were well used to this routine right now, though todaythey had another person to play with which made them each extra happy. And Agatha was a more than willing playmate. She had enjoyed her nieces when they were tiny babies; she’d loved holding them and drinking in their unique scents. But now that they were older and able to focus and move around a little, it was even more exciting to be around them. 

Or at least it would have been had her mother not felt the need to correct every little thing she did. 

“You’re holding them incorrectly again; you need to support their necks more.”

Agatha shook her head and made a silly noise to make the baby in her arms, this time Seren, laugh. “Ada said their necks are very strong; she also said holding them this way was just fine.”

Five minutes later as the girls lay waving their arms and legs in delight on the mat, Alma had something else to say. “Don’t take your eyes off them for a second; they could roll anywhere.”

“If you do, take me with you, please.”, Agatha whispered to her nieces. 

“And don’t get them too worked up.”, Alma added. “If you do they’ll never nap and your sister and Hecate will blame me.”

“They will nap.”, Agatha told her. “I helped Ada put them down the last time I was here, and she said I had the magic touch.” 

Alma gave her daughter a pointed look. ”What did you do, cast a spell on them?” 

“No.” Agatha shook her head, feeling the hurt at yet again being underestimated, seep through her body. “I would never do anything to hurt them.”

For a moment, Alma felt guilty. Agatha had given her plenty of grief over the years, but she was a wonderful Aunt to the girls, and they both adored her. Deciding to take a different strategy, she approached the mat and picked up Seren, indicating to Agatha to take Celeste. “Come on then, if you’re as good as you say you are, let's see which one goes down first.”

True to her word, Agatha had Celeste off to sleep in mere minutes while Seren took a little longer to settle. Once they were both asleep Agatha wasn’t sure what to do with herself, she was still somewhat irritated with her mother and so didn’t want to engage in conversation. Instead, she spent the two hours the girls were sleeping looking around Ada and Hecate’s living room, picking up pictures and objects, looking at books and waiting for the children to wake up so they could play again. 

Which of course they did just as their mothers arrived back.

“I’ll get them.” Agatha went to jump off the couch as a cry came through the wall but was stopped with a shake of Hecate’s head. 

“I will.” Though she wouldn’t admit to Agatha, Hecate had missed the girls desperately that afternoon and was dying for a quick cuddle with them before dinner. 

“Are you sure you won’t stay to eat?” Ada asked a short time later as her mother and sister gathered their things ready to leave. 

“Thank you, but I have bridge tonight.”, Alma reminded her daughter. “I’ll see you Friday though.” 

“Agatha?” Ada looked at her sister. “How about you, you’re very welcome to stay?”

It was tempting, but Agatha had to say no. She couldn’t tell Ada that it was too hard to stay when she wasn’t the focus of the girls' attention. That it had hurt when they had been so caught up in Hecate that they had barely glanced in her direction since they left their bedroom. That seeing her sister kissing her partner as they held their perfect little girls made her sick to her stomach because she knew she would never have what they did. 

She was still smarting as she left with Alma. Oh, the girls had waved as directed by Ada, but their focus was entirely on their parents. 

“They barely noticed I was leaving.” She knew she sounded churlish as she made her way to the broom cupboard with Alma, but the words were out before she could stop them. 

“Of course not, they’re tiny babies who are entirely focused on their mothers, as they should be.”

“But they’re my little friends. I love them, and you saw how they are with me, they love me too.” 

Alma tutted to herself while reaching for the ever so slightly out of reach broomsticks, Agatha’s words only half reaching her ears. “I’m glad you do, and I will say, you’re better with them than I ever expected you to be but you need to remember, they’re Ada and Hecate’s girls.” Finally, she got a grip on the obstinate broom and pulled it out with a sigh of satisfaction. “Let them deal with the crying, the teething and the tantrums while we go home and have our own dinner, shall we?”

Agatha nodded mutely, but the prospect of dinner wasn’t in the least bit appealing. To her, it was crystal clear what her mother was saying, and the message hit her square in the guts. 

_“They’re not your children.”_


	3. Finding The Right Ingredients

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agatha wanting what Ada has isn't new, even their own mother could attest to that. But just how far is she prepared to go to emulate what she sees as her sister's perfect life? 
> 
> Read on to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this next piece of the puzzle. There's still more to come of course, but I do hope you're enjoying it so far.

“Ahhh, Auntie Agatha, that tickles.” 

Agatha laughed as she continued her gentle assault on a squirming Celeste. “Does it?” 

The laughter continued as Seren joined in the fun. “Don’t stop.”, the four-year-old instructed. She loved when her twin laughed this way and was thoroughly enjoying the fun they were having with their Aunt. “Tickle under her chin, that’s where Mummy tickles her, and she laughs lots and lots then.”

‘Does she now?” Agatha shook her head in an attempt to remove the thought of Hecate and the children from her mind. She would never admit it, but deep down the envy she felt at how much Seren and Celeste adored their Mummy had never entirely gone away. And, if she delved deeper, she could see that it wasn’t just her nieces, Ada worshipped Hecate and had made it very clear over the years that she wouldn’t hear a word said against her partner.

The games and giggles would have carried on for a lot longer, except unlike Agatha, who had never really understood the concept of a set bedtime, Alma was keen that the girls stick to their normal routine. 

“Come on you two, time for bed.” 

Seren and Celeste made disappointed noises, as did Agatha. “Can’t they stay up a little longer?”

Alma shook her head as she helped her granddaughters up from the floor. “They promised their mothers that they'd be good and go to bed on time, didn’t you girls?”

“Yes, Nanny.”, the twins answered with a yawn. 

“Good girls.” Alma regarded the sleepy faces. “Perhaps Auntie Agatha will tell you a bedtime story. A suitable one of course.” 

“Of course.” Agatha narrowed her eyes at her mother, though she was secretly delighted that she could spend a little more time with her nieces before they slept. Unfortunately, she had underestimated just how tired they were, and less than five minutes after they entered their bed both girls were out for the count. 

“They look so peaceful, don’t they?”, Alma commented as she pulled the blankets up over their shoulders. “Such deep sleepers the pair of them.”

“Yes.”, Agatha agreed, her eyes not leaving her nieces for a second. Celeste was cuddled against Seren, just as Ada had always attempted to do with Agatha when they were younger. The difference was that Seren was doing precisely the same thing, holding her younger sister close as they breathed at the same pace, almost as if they were one person. 

For a moment she regretted her actions as a child, how cruel she had been to Ada who had only ever wanted a playmate and someone to cuddle with when she felt lonely. Now Agatha was the lonely one while Ada had a partner and children who gave her all the love and affection she could want. 

“Would you like a cup of tea?” 

Her mother’s voice drew Agatha out of her thoughts and back to reality. “No thank you, Mother, I think I’m going to go out.”

“Out?” Alma was surprised. “I thought you wanted to stay with Seren and Celeste.”

“You said it yourself, they’re deep sleepers, and they won’t stir until the morning.” Agatha shrugged before casting a spell to change into black trousers, a low cut blouse and pointed black heels. “Don’t say a word.”, she warned Alma before using the hall mirror to apply her favourite red lipstick. 

“There really isn’t any point.”, Alma sighed. “What time will you be back?”

Agatha shrugged as she reached for her cloak. “No idea, don’t wait up.”

Leaving a resigned Alma behind, Agatha stepped into the fresh evening air and, as she retrieved her broomstick from the shed, considered her options. There were several bars and clubs where she knew she would run into various friends and acquaintances but that wasn’t necessarily what Agatha desired. Tonight she wanted to meet new people, see who else was there for her to talk to, perhaps spend a little time with. And luckily she knew just the place. 

Minutes later she was entering the bar in question, it was busy, but not overly so and she quickly found a seat at the bar where she ordered a neat whiskey, sighing with satisfaction as the strong alcohol burned her throat. She promptly ordered another, this time savouring her drink as she glanced around the bar. There were plenty of couples, though it quickly became apparent she wasn’t the only person there for a particular purpose. She smiled at a few patrons who were looking in her direction but dismissed them for not being what she was looking for. That was until she became aware of a set of brown eyes regarding her from the other side of the bar. 

Smirking to herself, she finished her drink before casually sauntering across the room and indicating to the empty chair. “May I?”

The person across from her nodded. “Please do.”

“Thank you.” Agatha extended her hand. “Agatha Cackle, pleased to meet you.”

“Hello Agatha, I’m Hestia Hitchfeld.”

Agatha sat back in her chair and regarded the younger woman with long dark hair, brown eyes, pale skin and, from what she could see, long, lean limbs. “Hestia, what a beautiful name. May I buy you a drink?” 

 

“Hello, my lovelies.” It was two weeks later and after a day spent at the Witches’ Council dealing with the likes of Ursula Hallow and Chief Wizard Hellibore, all Ada wanted was a cuddle with her children, a kiss from Hecate and a cup of tea. The kiss came first, then the tea which she sipped as Seren and Celeste sat at either side of her on the couch. 

“Did you have a fun day?”, Seren asked as she nibbled on half a biscuit her Ma had passed her while her Mummy wasn’t looking. 

Ada smiled at the innocent question. As far as Seren was concerned every event was an opportunity for fun and as Ada reflected on the day, she realised that actually, the day hadn’t been so bad. “I did my pet, I had lunch with Auntie Mona, and she asked me to say hello and to tell you that she’ll visit you very soon.”

Seren and Celeste made an excited noise, they loved their Auntie Mona and enjoyed her visits very much, and not just because she always brought them cakes and sweets. 

Celeste was also interested in another Auntie. “Was Auntie Agatha there?”

Ada hadn’t expected her sister to attend; she never did. Agatha had always declared them to be useless, bureaucratic events full of nobodies who just liked hearing the sound of their own voices. She opened her mouth to answer Celeste’s question, but Seren beat her to it. 

“She was probably with her girlfriend.”

“Pardon?” Hecate looked up from where she was sat at the table, marking the second years midterm exams.

“Seren, that’s a secret.”, Celeste hissed across the couch. “Auntie Agatha said not to say anything.”

“About what?” Ada asked as she looked between both girls. “What’s all this about Auntie Agatha having a girlfriend?”

“That’s it.”, Seren shrugged. “She said she has a new girlfriend who is very nice and maybe we’ll meet her one day.” 

“Did she now?” Ada wasn’t shocked, Agatha had always been somewhat fluid in her sexuality, although she hadn’t heard of any relationships with women for a long time. She was however unimpressed that her sister had asked the children to keep a secret, and from the expression on Hecate’s face, she knew she wasn’t the only one.

“I’ll deal with this.”, she mouthed softly to her partner. 

“So, it’s true?” Hecate sat back against the pillows while Ada filled her in on the mirror call with her sister.

“Apparently so, they met about a month ago, and it all seems to be going well so far. I told her I was pleased for her, but that under no circumstances was she ever to ask the girls to keep secrets again. Or to talk about introducing them to anyone that you and I have not met.” 

“And what was her reaction to that?”

“She apologised, and before you ask, I do think she meant it.” Like Hecate, Ada had no idea why Agatha had chosen to tell Seren and Celeste about this new person in her life before telling them or even Alma. But then again, her sister didn’t always understand that as bright as the girls were, they were still children and needed to be treated as such. 

“I’ll take your word for it.” Hecate had her own opinions in regards to Agatha and this new relationship but conceded that perhaps it was a good thing that she had found someone she liked. “Are we ever going to meet this mystery woman?”

“Well…” Ada, who was more curious than she cared to admit about Agatha’s girlfriend, had decided to take the bull by the horns when it came to that meeting. “I’ve invited them for dinner on Friday night. Agatha is going to check and get back to me tomorrow, but she seems to think it will work for them. You don’t mind, do you?”

An evening with Agatha was never top of Hecate’s agenda, but like Ada, she too was curious. And at least this way they would be in their own home which always gave her an extra sense of security when meeting new people. “I don’t mind. Seren and Celeste can say hello before bed. Oh, did you find out her name?”

“Yes.” Ada had been trying to dismiss the niggle that had settled in her stomach once Agatha had mentioned her girlfriend's name, but she couldn’t deny that something wasn’t sitting quite right. “It’s Hestia Hitchfeld.”

Hecate raised an eyebrow, indicating that she too was slightly bemused by the name. “Ahh.”

“Bit of a coincidence isn’t it?” Ada tried to brush over the similarity, not wanting to make assumptions and create an issue where there wasn’t any. But, a few days later as she met the woman in question, she realised that their instincts might have been correct. 

“And this is Seren and Celeste, my nieces and bestest friends in the world.” Agatha beamed at the two girls who were dressed in their nightdresses and standing very close to Hecate. “Say hello to Hestia girls.”

“Hello.”, Celeste answered brightly. “It’s very nice to meet you.” 

“It’s nice to meet you too Seren.”, Hestia murmured. “And you too Celeste.”

“I’m Seren, that’s Celeste.”, the child in question responded. “And you look like my Mummy. Are you twins too?”

It wasn’t an unreasonable question. Hecate may have been a year or two younger than Hestia, but the resemblance was clear to see. Both were of similar heights and build, with the same pale colouring and dark hair, the only significant differences being that Hestia had a fringe and wore her hair in a chignon as opposed to Hecate’s bun. And her dress, though also dark, was much shorter and lower cut than anything Hecate would ever wear in public. 

It was Ada who responded to the question. “No Seren, Hestia and Mummy aren’t twins, though they look a little alike.”

“A lot alike.”, Seren emphasised.

“Oh, not really.”, Agatha blustered. “They both have dark hair, that’s all.”

Deciding the conversation was becoming a little too awkward, and confusing for more than just the twins, Hecate directed Hestia and Agatha to sit on the couch while Ada fetched some drinks and the children said goodnight. 

“Can’t they stay up?”, Agatha asked. “Just for a while?”

“It’s already past their bedtime.”, Ada told her, resisting the urge to point out that their guests had been forty-five minutes late. “They’ll be very cranky if they stay up any longer.”

“Won’t be.” Celeste desperately wanted to stay up and tried to look as wide awake as possible so she could stay and play with Auntie Agatha and her new friend. 

“Oh yes, you will.” Ada, who wasn’t always as strict with bedtime as Hecate, was standing firm. She had decided to give Agatha the benefit of the doubt, but still, she wasn’t sure she wanted the children to be witness to this particular dinner party. “Come on, bedtime.” Then seizing the opportunity to get her sister alone, she offered, “Do you want to help?”

Agatha was standing up instantly. “Yes, please.” 

Hecate, who could see by Hestia’s face that she was slightly irritated at being left alone without any consultation, tried to make conversation as they waited for Ada and Agatha to return. “How did you and Agatha meet?”

“At a bar.” Hestia took a long sip of her drink. “We clicked straight away, she came back to my place that night, and well, she obviously enjoyed herself because we’ve been almost inseparable ever since.”

The answer made Hecate extremely uncomfortable. She wasn’t used to people being so open and obvious about their sex life and having a stranger do so made her especially uneasy. Still, she made her face as neutral as possible and tried to think of safer topics to discuss. 

While Hecate was navigating small talk with a stranger, Ada was engaging in a more serious conversation with someone she knew well. Too well. 

“Perhaps one day you’ll have little cousins to play with.”, Agatha whispered as she rose from the side of Celeste’s bed.

Relieved that her daughter was already fast asleep, Ada waited until they were outside the door before asking. “Are you talking about having children already? Does Hestia want them?”

“We haven’t discussed it”, Agatha shrugged. “But I’m sure she will. Besides, you’re not one to talk. Hecate didn’t exactly want children, but that didn’t stop you did it?”

“It wasn’t like that,”, Ada reminded her. “But seeing as you mentioned her, Agatha, tell me you didn’t target someone who looked like Hecate.”

“What do you mean?”, Agatha scoffed. “They don’t look in the least bit alike.”

“Yes, they do. Even the girls noticed it, but that’s not my point Agatha, this entire relationship seems rather unusual for you.”

“I see.”, Agatha sneered. “Because you’re the only one who can be in a relationship.”

“No.”, Ada sighed. “I’m just not sure you are fully aware of what a relationship involves. It’s more than dates and sex and then jumping into having children. From what you’ve told me, it seems you’re moving quickly, which is fine, but when I ask you about Hestia, you can’t tell me much about her bar the fact that she’s good in bed.”

“Isn’t that important?”, Agatha retorted.

“It can be, but it’s not the most important thing. Agatha, a relationship is about understanding your partner, knowing your differences as well as what you have in common. That takes time; it’s about finding the right ingredients and blending them together, not casting a quick spell and hoping for the best.

Agatha rolled her eyes. “Thank you for that incredible magical metaphor sister dear. Now, are we going to eat or are you going to stand here and lecture me?”

Their timing was perfect, and they reentered the living area just as Hecate was summoning the roast chicken Ada had prepared from the oven. It wasn’t the most relaxing meal Ada and Hecate had ever spent. The conversation was polite but stilted. And although it was primarily Agatha bringing them up, it was clear that Hestia had little to no interest in Seren, Celeste or children in general. She wasn’t rude, merely disinterested in any conversation that involved the twins or the school. 

“Shall we sit back down on the couch for drinks?”, Ada suggested once the meal was over. “Hestia, what would you like?”

Hestia glanced at her watch and gave a reluctant sigh. “I’m afraid I need to leave I have an early start tomorrow.”

“You never mentioned that.” Agatha looked surprised. “Surely we can stay a little longer?”

“I can’t, but you really should stay.” Hestia gathered her coat and bag before nodding to Hecate and Ada. “Thank you for a lovely evening, and your children are just charming. Agatha, perhaps you’ll walk me out?”

“Of course.”

It was much later when Agatha arrived back. On seeing the expression on her face, Hecate made her excuses and went to bed while Ada tried to engage her sister in conversation, which quickly proved to be a fruitless endeavour. Instead, she left her sitting on the couch with a glass of wine and reminded her where the spare room was. 

As tired as Agatha suddenly was, the idea of going to bed held no appeal. Instead, she poured herself another glass of wine and contemplated her future. Her long, lonely future.

“Auntie Agatha.”, a small voice spoke from the doorway. “Are you okay? Is your friend gone?”

“Yes, Celeste, she is.” 

Celeste scurried across the room before climbing onto the couch and onto Agatha’s lap. “I’m sorry she didn’t want to play anymore.”

“So am I.” Agatha kissed Celeste’s hair. “But I have you don’t I?”

“Yes, and I love you lots and lots.” Celeste gave her Aunt an extra tight hug. “I’ll always be your friend, and so will Seren.”

“I know you will.” Agatha smiled and hugged the smaller body close to her, trying as she did so to block what Hestia had said as she ended their relationship.

"It seems that you and I want very different things from life Agatha. At least, you seem to think this is what you want."

Deep down, she knew it was the truth, just as she knew the relationship hadn't been right for either of them. Still, that didn't stop the sting that came with the truth in Hestia's parting words.

“This isn’t your life.”


	4. Toil and Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can the school survive having two Cackles under one roof? Agatha seems to think so, but can she live up to her lofty plans?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the reviews both here and on Tumblr, they are greatly appreciated and always welcome. (And yes, it is okay to feel sorry for Agatha, for now :) )
> 
> Updates on this story should be a little bit more regular now as I'm planning on fortnightly for the final four chapters. 
> 
> Again, thanks to S for giving this a once-over for me. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy.

Ada bit her lip. “I don’t know. Hecate, what do you think?”

“We…” Hecate’s didn’t get the chance to respond before Agatha jumped in to make her case. 

“It makes complete sense. You have the room, the staff, the experience. I have the business knowledge, the communication skills. If we worked together on this, it could be incredible Ada.”

“You tried that before, didn’t you?”, Alma reminded her daughters. “And it didn’t work out them. Tell me, Agatha, how is this different?”

“In so many ways Mother. Look….”, she addressed the other three women in the room. “I know I’ve made mistakes before, but I’ve learned from them. I’ve put a lot of research into this, and I think that by offering this we can do something to bring in more revenue, save the school from mediocrity.” 

“Mediocrity?”, Hecate sniffed indignantly. 

“Yes.” Agatha reached for the papers and pointed to a specific paragraph. “Here, look at this. Studies have shown that allowing young witches to softly transition from primary to secondary education has a big impact on how they adapt to more intensive studies.”

“How?” Hecate asked. “Ten-year-olds aren’t ready for potions or spells.” She thought of her own two ten-year-olds, who were highly intelligent but still not yet mature enough to handle their magical abilities from a practical side, despite what Seren said on a regular basis. 

“True.” Ada agreed. 

Agatha had been prepared for this argument. “You’re right, but that's not what we’ll be focusing on. In this year we’ll offer chanting, magical history, agility lessons, some introduction to magical ingredients, Hecate, you’ve said yourself that first years tend to have little to no knowledge of magic when they arrive, this way they’ll know a whole lot more before they move to the practical side of things.” Then she played her trump card. “Pentangles have had great success with something similar.” 

She watched, thrilled as Hecate’s eyes narrowed in interest. She was never sure about what had happened, but there was the rivalry between Hecate and Pippa Pentangle, and she had every intention of using that to her advantage. Her plan seemed to work as she could see Hecate seriously thinking it through while Ada looked through the paperwork again. 

“Mother?” Ada wanted to know the former principal’s perspective on something that Cackle’s had never even considered before. 

Alma thought for a moment, folded her arms and looked at both her daughters. “It makes sense. On paper.”, she added seeing Agatha’s gleeful expression. “I have some reservations, but they are based on things that have happened in the past, and you’re right Agatha, things have changed since then. Ada, you run the school now, and the decision is yours. However, I would advise you to get a third party to look over the plan to make sure it is sound.”

Ada nodded in agreement. Mona’s husband Charles came to mind; he was a good businessman and a straight talker, he would tell her straight away if he thought this was a waste of time. 

Not quite finished yet, Alma addressed Agatha. “I’ll only say this once; If you go ahead with this plan, you must do everything by the book. No shortcuts, no giving up halfway through and absolutely no interfering in the teaching process. You can run the year, go to the meetings and make suggestions, but Ada is still in charge. Are we clear?”

Agatha swallowed down the irritation and resentment she was feeling, knowing that if she blew up at her mother the way she wanted to, the project would be over before it had even begun. “Crystal, Mother.”

It had been worth swallowing her anger as just three days later she received a call from Ada with good news. 

“Charles agrees with your figures and thinks it’s a sound proposition. I’ve also spoken to some members of the Witches’ Council, and there is certainly a demand for something like this.”

“I told you.”, Agatha beamed. 

“You did.” Ada shared what had really cemented her decision to go ahead with Agatha’s proposal of adding a preparatory year. “And most importantly, Seren and Celeste love the idea and are very excited to be a part of this pilot.”

“Of course they are.” Agatha crowed. “And me being at the school means I’ll get to see them even more.” She stopped Ada from what she was going to say. “And no, I won’t distract them from their lessons, I promise.”

Ada smiled. “I know you won’t. Now, how are we going to let people know?”

Again, Agatha was one step ahead. “I’ve been working on a brochure and some advertising copy that I thought we could put into Witching Weekly. I have the text prepared, but we need a few pictures.” She gave Ada a wink. “I don’t suppose you know of any beautiful, brainy ten-year-olds who would pose for a few photos do you?”

“Oh, I think I can help you with that.”, Ada laughed. 

So, a week later, two little girls with neatly plaited dark hair and bright brown eyes, sat behind a desk and grinned from the pages of the most read witches magazine in the country, telling everyone that Cackle’s Academy was offering a preparatory year that was essential for all young witches, and within two days all twelve spaces had been filled. 

“It’s going to be brilliant” Agatha hugged her two nieces close and grinned with excitement.

And it was brilliant. The first six months went better than anyone could have predicted. The young students learned chants and explored magical history at a leisurely, yet productive pace, rather than subjects that were usually crammed into first year. They had time to ask questions and to learn about their powers in a safe and supportive environment. What was more, there was already a tremendous sense of camaraderie building amongst the twelve girls who had bonded better than anyone could have expected. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a group get on so well.”, Gwen commented after a particularly lively chanting class. “And so impeccably behaved.”

“All of them?” Hecate knew Seren and Celeste were generally well behaved, but they did so enjoy teasing their ‘Auntie Gwen’ at every available opportunity. 

“Every last one.”, Gwen promised. “And our girls are a credit to you both.” Since their birth, the twins had been referred to as ‘our girls’ by Gwen and Algernon who adored the lively youngsters. Hecate and Ada had no problem with this; they were just grateful to have so much support when it came to looking after the twins. “It’s no surprise, but their knowledge is that bit more advanced than their classmates, I suppose that’s what comes from growing up here and with you and Ada as parents.”

“And my remarkable influence.” , Agatha interjected from across the room. “It was I who taught them ‘Ring Around The Roses’ after all.”

Gwen sighed, chanting had never been Agatha’s forte as a student, and it appeared that hadn’t changed in the intervening years. “That’s not a chant, at best it’s a playground game, at worst a rather depressing rhyme.”

“Same difference where you’re concerned.”, Agatha muttered under her breath before changing the subject and addressing Hecate. “Have you and Ada decided on the new Flying teacher yet?”

It wasn’t just the new year that had caused a change at Cackle’s. After more years than anyone could remember Miss Gimlet, Cackle’s Flying Instructor had announced her intention to retire before the Winter break. Unfortunately, she hadn’t given much notice, meaning that the between them, Ada and Hecate had been managing her workload which just wasn’t sustainable any longer. 

Hecate nodded. “Yes, I believe so. Dimity Drill appears to be the best candidate. Ada has spoken to her referees, and everything checks out. We’ve written to her and asked if she can begin next week.” 

“Oh, the Star of the Sky.”, Agatha remembered reading about their new staff member’s achievements. “Very impressive.”

“Is it?” Hecate still couldn’t understand the fuss over this particular aspect of Miss Drill’s CV. So she flew competitively? Surely the most important thing was that held a teaching qualification and had the relevant experience. 

“No Mummy.”, Celeste shook her head vigorously upon hearing her parents discuss the new appointment over dinner that night “Being the Star of the Sky is really, really, really, really, really good.”

“Well.”, Ada laughed. “With that many reallys, it must be.”

“Definitely”, Celeste grinned. “I can’t wait to meet her. Do you think she’ll give me her autograph?”

As it turned out, Dimity was more than happy, if not slightly bemused, to give the girls her autograph. And while Hecate still didn’t understand why anyone would want something as trivial as this young woman’s signature, she was pleased to see that Miss Drill's teaching skills were as expected from her interviews. She was even more impressed with how she engaged with Seren and Celeste, never giving them special treatment over the other students but always being kind and friendly when they appeared in the staffroom after lessons. 

“I like Dimity,”, Seren announced one day when classes were over, and she had wandered into the staffroom in search of her Ma. Ada was nowhere to be found, but her Auntie Agatha and a plate of biscuits were enough to keep her there while she waited. “She’s a really good teacher.”

“Better not let your Mummy hear you say that.”, Agatha warned. She was particularly fed up with Hecate that day. Just because she had been late for a meeting that morning. Alright, so it had been with the president of the Witches Council, and yes, she could have been better prepared, but she hadn’t deserved a lecture, especially one where Ada had joined in and made her feel like a naughty schoolgirl. 

Seren lifted her head and peered across the table at her aunt. “Why not?”

“Your Mummy likes to think she’s the best teacher around here. Then again, she likes to think she’s the best at everything and better than everyone else.” Even as the spiteful words left her mouth, Agatha knew she shouldn’t be saying them. And as she caught her niece’s eye, she knew she had made a mistake. “I’m sorry Seren, I shouldn't have said that.”

“No, you shouldn’t.” Seren felt very uneasy, it wasn’t the first time her Auntie had said something mean-sounding about her Mummy, and she didn’t like it one bit. “They’re both good teachers and my Mummy doesn’t think she’s better than anyone” She rose from her chair, grabbing a couple of biscuits for Celeste as she did so. “If Ma comes in will you tell her that I’ve finished my essay on Morgan Le Fey, she said she’d read over it for me.”

“I can do that.”, Agatha offered. 

“No thanks, Ma already said she would.” Seren had just reached the door when she heard her name being called. 

“What I said about Hecate, that’s our little secret, okay?”

Seren had a funny feeling in her stomach, but she nodded slowly, thinking that if she told her Mummy anything that Auntie Agatha had said it would only hurt her feelings and she didn’t want that at all. “Okay.”

Of course, secrets didn’t count when it came to Celeste, and she poured out her feelings to her sister as they lay in their twin beds that night. 

“She was probably just in a bad mood.”, Celeste whispered. “I’m sure she didn’t mean anything.”

“You didn’t hear her Celly.”, Seren replied. “She sounded like she hated Mummy.”

“Auntie Agatha doesn’t hate Mummy.” Celeste climbed out of her bed and into her sister’s. “Why would anyone hate her? I know some of the older girls think her classes are hard, and she tells them off a lot, but she told us that it’s so everyone is safe, remember?”

Seren did remember both their parents explaining that sometimes they would have to be strict with the students, including them. She recalled her Ma saying that it was their job to make sure other parents’ daughters were well looked after as they learned to use their magic and that she was very proud of the great job their Mummy did in making sure that happened, 

“Mummy’s very lovely.”, Celeste whispered in the dark. “And we love her lots.” 

“She is, and we do.”, Her sister’s words and presence were already making Seren feel better and so, with her head pressed against Celeste’s, she drifted off to sleep, thinking not of her Auntie’s mean tones, but rather the prospect of another day ahead with her sister and their friends. 

“I love you both.”, Hecate whispered a couple of hours later. “Even if you can’t stay in your own beds, I love you more than you will ever know. Goodnight my sweet girls.” She kissed her daughters, made sure they were snug and warm then transferred to her bedroom, ready to snuggle up to a sleeping Ada.

The following morning came quickly, and with it came word from Algernon that Gwen wasn’t well. 

“Up all night she was.”, he sighed. “I’ve left her sleeping now, but I don’t think she’ll be able to teach today.”

“Of course not.”, Ada sympathised. “Tell her not to worry, she only has the one class today, and I can take that.” A quick glance at her calendar caused her to correct herself. “Hmmm, no, I can’t.” The first class would clash with her weekly call with Chief Wizard Hellibore’s office, one that it was already far too late to cancel.

“Or I could do it.” Agatha offered. “Don’t look at me like that sister dear. I won’t try and teach the class. I’ll just sit there and get some paperwork done while the girls study.”

Ada was torn but conceded that it was probably the best option. Hecate and Dimity were already in class, and Algernon was running late for his fourth-year group. And younger girls were too young to be left without supervision. “If you’re sure.”

“Of course I am. Trust me; it will be a breeze.” 

There was a niggling doubt in Ada’s mind, but still, she watched as her sister stood up, a pile of papers in her hand. “Enjoy.”

Agatha smirked to herself as she transferred to the classroom. Anyone could teach chanting, quite frankly she was amazed that Gwen was paid a wage to do something so simple, and that meant that this was an opportunity for her to prove herself to her doubters, including Hecate. She may not have any formal teaching qualifications, but she could improvise, and she was great with children, Seren and Celeste could vouch for that. 

“This is going to be the best class ever”, she told herself as she materialised in front of the group of eager ten-year-olds. Though, not all were as excited by the change to their normal routine. 

“Where’s Miss Bat?”, Seren asked from her seat in the centre of the room. 

“Unfortunately Miss Bat is sick, but don’t worry. I’m going to take over today.” Agatha leaned against the sturdy wooden desk and regarded the class. “Are you ready to have some fun?”

At first, it was fun, they carried on with the school song as Miss Bat had planned, but it wasn’t long before Agatha’s attention waned, something that was quickly noticed by the class mischief maker, Polly Raffles. 

“Miss Cackle, can you teach us another chant? Something exciting.”

“We’re meant to be learning this one.”, Seren pointed out, earning herself an eye-roll from Polly.

Agatha considered the question, she had always found the school song rather tiresome and had already told Gwen and Ada that the curriculum needed updating, now was the perfect chance to prove she was right. “That’s an excellent idea Polly, and I do believe I have the perfect chant. Have you girls heard of Macbeth?”

There was a mixed reaction in the room with the majority shaking their heads, while a few, including Seren and Celeste, nodded slowly. 

“Well then, let’s see what we can learn from Shakespeare’s weird sisters, shall we? Follow my lead ‘Double, double toil and trouble;  
Fire burn, and cauldron bubble…”

Within seconds, Agatha’s mistake was obvious. Not alone was the passage unsuitable for chanting, the girls didn’t know the words, their pitch was off, and as the lights dimmed in the classroom, they started to panic. 

“Stop, stop.”, Agatha shouted, the tone of her voice only making the students more nervous. “Let’s leave that one.”

But it was too late, far from teaching the pupils a simple chant, Agatha and the group of young witches had managed to open a portal, leaving the classroom open to three uninvited guests. 

“Auntie Agatha.”, Celeste screeched as one of the crones they had managed to summon, flew over their heads. “Do something, please.”

Agatha wanted to, truly she did, but she had no idea what to do. Every banishing spell she had ever known had completely left her memory; she was helpless. 

“Help.”, Seren screamed as a crone grabbed her hair. “Mummy, Ma. Please help.”

As quickly as the crones arrived, they were gone. Agatha wasn’t sure how it had happened until she saw Hecate, her fingers still pointing to the ceiling, standing in the classroom door with Ada and Dimity standing right behind her. 

“Is everyone alright, is anyone injured?” Hecate’s face may have been controlled but inside her heart was pounding so quickly she thought it might leap straight out of her chest. In answer to her question, it seemed that nobody was injured, but they were clearly dealing with twelve terrified children. 

“Are they gone?”, Polly asked quietly. 

“Yes,”, Ada promised. “They’ve all gone. Now, I think the best thing to do is to get you girls out of here and into my office where we can talk about what happened over some tea and biscuits. Miss Drill, would you join us?” 

“Of course Miss Cackle.” Dimity made her way across the classroom to help escort the more shaken students out of the staffroom. 

Before they could leave, Seren and Celeste had something important to do. 

“Thank you for saving us, Mummy.”, they murmured in unison as they hugged their mother tightly. 

“I’ll never let anything happen to you.”, Hecate whispered softly. “Never.” She watched as her daughters left the classroom hand in hand, waiting until she saw them enter Ada’s office before turning to face a pale Agatha. 

“It was an accident.” Agatha stuttered. 

“Accident or not, it never should have happened.” Hecate could see that Agatha was shaken, but was finding it very difficult to muster up any sympathy for the other woman. “We will talk about this with Ada once she’s settled the students, spoken to their parents and reported this to the Witches’ Council.”

“It’s not that bad, is it?” Agatha could guess the answer and the following days confirmed her fear. 

“How many have we lost in total?” Gwen, now fully recovered, asked a forlorn looking Ada as she entered the staffroom three days later.

“Five; two to Pentangles and three who have returned home to their families.” She lowered herself into her seat and gave a big sigh before summoning a large pot of tea and magically pouring a cup for herself, Gwen and also Dimity who had just joined them. “And it’s been made very clear they won’t be coming back in the future, not that I can blame the parents for that. We’re just lucky to have gotten away with a warning from the Council.”

Dimity grateful took the cup then settled down on the comfortable couch. “I hear Polly Raffle’s mother changed her mind about suing. What did you manage to say to get her to change her mind?” 

Ada shrugged in response. “Nothing, it was Hecate. She explained that we completely understood how Mrs Raffle felt, that we too were dealing with two traumatised girls, and while Mrs Raffle was completely within her rights to sue, Polly herself had said she just wanted to forget the whole incident had ever happened. Luckily her mother calmed down and had agreed to let the matter drop. Though unfortunately, she has asked that nobody at the school make any contact with Polly, which means that Seren and Celeste have lost a friend.”

“How are they?” Gwen had been worried for all the students, but given their closeness, particularly so about the twins. 

“A bit better. They slept in their own room last night, though they were curled up together in Seren’s bed when I went to check on them. We’ve had some talks, answered their questions and reassured them that this is not something they need to worry about. Right now they’re mainly sad that some of their friends have left but they know, as do the other students, that they can talk to me, Hecate, or any of the other adults on staff if they need to.”

“Any of the adults?” Gwen raised an eyebrow in Ada’s direction. 

Knowing exactly what the older witch was referring to, Ada decided to share some more information. “As of yesterday, Agatha is no longer working with us. Once we finished with the Witches Council, I met with her, and we agreed that it was best she step back.”

“And how did she take that?” Having known Agatha for many years, Gwen had a fair idea of the answer. 

For a moment, Ada debated being less than honest with her answer but decided that as she often told her daughters, it was always better to be truthful. “She wasn’t happy, but as Mother said, once she’s licked her wounds and found something else to capture her attention, she’ll get over it.”

“And who will take over her work?” Dimity was curious. 

“Hecate will take over for the remainder of the year.” Ada was beyond gratefully to her partner for agreeing to take on yet another responsibility. 

Dimity nodded. “Makes sense. And next year?”

“There’s not going to be a next year.” Ada took a long sip of her tea, attempting to swallow her disappointment at the same time. “We said we’d try this experiment for a year and would only continue if it worked out. Well, it hasn’t, and while it hasn’t been a total failure, clearly the costs have far outweighed any benefits.”

Gwen and Dimity, knowing not to push their already frazzled headmistress too much, nodded in agreement before changing the subject to more agreeable topics. 

Meanwhile, Hecate was sat in Ada’s office, casting her eyes over the paperwork left for her. She had just turned the page when the door creaked open. 

“I was looking for Ada.” Agatha’s tone was clipped, becoming more so as she saw what Hecate was doing. “It didn’t take you long did it?”

“To do what?” Hecate placed the papers back on the desk and stared pointedly across the room. 

“To step into my shoes. I’d be surprised if this hadn’t been your plan the whole time, you were just waiting for me to fail so you could step in, weren’t you?”

Hecate, quickly losing patience with Agatha, rose from her seat and walked towards the door. “Ah yes, I waited until your arrogance, stupidity and complete lack of basic magical rules allowed you to create a portal that allowed demonic crones to enter the school and fly around the youngest, most vulnerable group of witches we have. I was so eager to take on yet more work that I waited until a group of children, including my own daughters, were scared half to death so I could have the opportunity to make you look bad.”

“They weren’t that scared.”, Agatha feigned bravado though secretly she was worried sick about her nieces. 

Hecate clenched her fists, causing her nails to dig into the palms of her hands. “Not that scared? They were in tears for the best part of two days; they barely slept the first night because every time they closed their eyes, they could see it happening again. Then, when they finally did sleep they had nightmares. I know this because Ada and I stayed with them, holding them all night like we did when they were tiny babies until they settled.”

Shame and frustration made Agatha respond in her default cruel style. “Oh, mother of the year aren’t you?”

“I am their mother, and I will do anything to protect them. Just as in my capacity as Deputy Head, I will do whatever is in my power to protect the students of this school. You endangered them, Agatha, you endangered the students, as well as your nieces who you claim to love so much. You let the standards of Cackle’s Academy slip and that is inexcusable. You’re just lucky I happened to be walking past and heard them cry for help. ”

Hecate was right, Agatha knew that, but she was damned if she was going to admit it. “Oh yes, luckily for everyone you were walking around as you always do like you own this place. And as for the standards of this school, just remember this Hecate Hardbroom you only work here. You’re no better than Gwen or Algernon. And you are most certainly not a Cackle.”

The nasty words stung but there was no point in Hecate responding in anger; instead, she took a different approach and in a firm, even tone, she offered Agatha a reminder of her own. 

“And you need to remember, Ada is the Cackle who is in charge Agatha. This is not your school.”


	5. Proposals and Confrontations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ada, Hecate and the girls are blissfully happy, and about to become even more so if a certain plan comes to fruition. 
> 
> But when it comes to relations with Agatha, the cracks are already beginning to show, are they about to shatter completely?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As some of you pointed out in the last chapter, things are starting to move and in this chapter be prepared for them to really accelerate. 
> 
> (For reference, Seren and Celeste are now around thirteen years old as we're looking at select points in their childhood/teenage years to build the story out) 
> 
> Thanks to my lovely S for encouraging me to keep going with this one :)

“Hello, my sweet girls.” Ada rose from the chair as her daughters entered the office. “Thank you for coming.” 

Seren, having seen the plate of biscuits and a large pot of tea on their mother’s desk, was pretty sure there was no reason to be worried about their sudden summoning. Still, it never hurt to ask. “Ma, are we in trouble?”

“Trouble?” Ada’s eyes glinted from across the room. “Not as far as I’m aware, though it does lead me to wonder if there’s anything I should know?”

“No.”, Celeste quickly clarified. “We just weren’t sure why you wanted to talk to us here and now, rather than upstairs this evening.” With that, she snagged a custard cream, gave her mother a quick kiss and lowered herself onto one of the waiting chairs. 

Ada stood against her desk and watched as Seren reached for a chocolate digestive, flopped on the chaise lounge, her long hair, which Mona had accurately described once as chocolate-copper, trailing on the floor as she savoured the first bite of her favourite biscuit. Identical they might have been, she reflected, but there was no mixing up which girl was which. Seren was deceptively casual, both in her body language and her dress, the loose khaki cargo trousers, fitted t-shirt and bright white trainers she was wearing being a typical outfit for the older Cackle child. But while clothes wise, she may have favoured comfort like Ada, from a personality perspective she was becoming more like Hecate, practical single-minded, curious and never afraid to assert herself when she was in the right. 

Celeste, on the other hand, was as smart as her sister but more introverted, needing to process ideas in her head and even then, not always sharing her thoughts. She was clever like Seren, and just as focused, but in a different way. While Seren enjoyed the practical side of magic, Celeste was more drawn to the mystical elements, spending hours pouring over Ada’s book collection to gather more information. She favoured a different style to her twin also and could often be found in Hecate’s side of the wardrobe, fawning over her other parent’s more gothic style and sketching pictures of similar outfits she wanted to create, often roping in Gwen or Nanny Alma to assist her in her sewing endeavours. 

But as different as they may be in some ways, the teenage sisters agreed on most things, and there was one issue above all others they were united on, thus the reason that Ada had summoned them. 

“I wanted to talk to you without Mummy being here.” 

“Oh?” The girls spoke in unison, their faces conveying how unusual this type of conversation was. 

Ada, sensing the nervousness in her daughters, finally shared the reason for excluding Hecate from this family talk. “I want to ask her to marry me, and I wanted your thoughts on how I, or rather we, can do that.” 

As she had hoped, her news generated a very favourable result. 

“Really?” Seren gasped when she and Celeste finally finished jumping and squealing. “And why now?”

“Really.”, Ada confirmed. “As for the timing, I always promised you it would happen, and now it just seems like the right time.” On seeing Seren about to ask another question she added, “Unless you don’t think I should?”

Celeste shook her head before wrapping her arms around her mother’s waist. “You definitely should, and I think it’s definitely the right time, especially with Mummy’s birthday coming up. Are you going to ask her then?”

“That’s what I was thinking.”, Ada confirmed. “The question is, how exactly should I do it? I don’t suppose you know anyone with any ideas, do you?”

Seren and Celeste, who had privately been discussing this moment since they had learned what a proposal was, had an abundance of ideas. The problem was filtering them down, which, with Ada’s input, they finally managed to do with enough time to arrange everything for Hecate’s birthday. 

“She’s going to like it, isn’t she?”, Celeste whispered across the darkened bedroom the night before the big event. 

“She’s going to love it.”, Seren promised. “It will be the best birthday ever.”

Not that she’d admit it too many people, but as Hecate woke on the morning of her forty-third birthday she was filled with a sense of delightful anticipation. As a child, birthdays had been a non-event, just a day on the calendar that showed she was getting older. But since she had met Ada, and especially since the girls had come along things were different. Birthdays were a time for celebration, a day for family, and she was excited to see what this one had in store.  
With a slight smile on her face, she turned towards Ada’s side of the bed, hoping for an early morning birthday cuddle, or as usually happened on her birthday, something more. But to her surprise and slight disappointment, Ada was nowhere to be found. Rather than her partner’s head on the pillow there was instead a dark envelope which she eagerly opened. 

_“Happy birthday my darling Hecate. This year we have designed a little game for your mind, body and hopefully your heart. Please play, we think you’ll enjoy it.”_

_“(And yes, it is, but we hope you’ll overlook that because we promise, this is going to be the best game you’ve ever played.)”_

The addendum from Seren and Celeste made Hecate think back to the promise she had made when Ada was pregnant. A slow smile crept across her face when she thought of the silliness that she had participated in over the years and how happy it had made her children see her doing so. 

“And I wouldn’t change one bit of it.”, Hecate told herself while reaching for the other piece of paper in the envelope. It appeared to be a clue of some sort, confirming her suspicions that she was starting the day with a treasure hunt.

_“Think of a rhyme, spoken in time, as for the when, you’ll have to ask…..”_

“Gwen.” Hecate, realising she was still in her nightclothes, quickly cast a spell to dress herself properly before transporting to the staffroom where Gwen spent every Saturday morning. As expected she found the chanting teacher drinking tea while absent-mindedly flicking through the newspaper. Swallowing down the slight sense of embarrassment she felt, Hecate cleared her throat to get Gwen’s attention, then asked, “Am I correct in thinking you have something for me?”

Gwen’s eyes twinkled as she took another sip of her tea. “I believe I might have.” She reached into one pocket, frowning when whatever she was looking for wasn't there, then reached into the other, sighing with relief when she found the required envelope. “Here you go.” 

“Thank you.” Hecate took the envelope and carefully opened it before muttering the next clue aloud. 

_“Run or walk, swim or fly. The next clue resides with the …….”_

“Star of the sky.” Hecate cringed when she realised how quickly the answer had come to her. Now, the only question was, where to find Dimity?

Gwen nodded. “That would be my guess. And if you’re wondering, I believe Dimity is outside in the courtyard.” Then, before Hecate could vanish into thin air, she added a final wish. “Have a wonderful birthday.”

“Thank you.”, Hecate responded before transporting herself to the location of their resident sports star. Gwen had been right; Dimity was stood in the courtyard, throwing a ball through a large metal hoop for no apparent reason. Still, Hecate didn’t have time to dwell on the ridiculousness of such activities; she had a clue to collect. 

“Here you go.”, Dimity beamed. “I didn’t peek.”

“I should hope not.”, Hecate murmured while opening the sealed envelope. 

_“Not a cat or a dog, not even a lizard, the next clue can be found in the hands of a …”_

“Wizard.”, Hecate exclaimed, causing Dimity to jump in surprise. “Algernon.” Within seconds she had magicked herself to the riverbank where Algernon had for as long as anyone could remember, spent his Saturday mornings. 

“Ah, I guessed you wouldn’t take too long.” Algernon knew from experience that Hecate was never one to wait for something that was obviously important. He chuckled to himself as the envelope was opened and a puzzled expression appeared on Hecate’s face. 

_“This final clue is not a who, but a where. It’s a place that’s all yours, but we’re lucky you share.”_

“All mine?”, Hecate mused, her mind going completely blank for a moment until inspiration struck her. “The potions lab.” 

“I think that’s a pretty safe bet.” Algernon wasn’t in the least bit surprised to realise he was talking to thin air. “You enjoy yourself lass, and say yes.”

Within seconds Hecate found herself standing in the middle of her classroom facing the final clue, one that this time was not in an envelope, but written on the blackboard in familiar handwriting. 

_“To finish you have to go back to the start, and find the surprise that is linked to your heart.”_

“Back to the bedroom then.” Hecate took a deep breath, then used the transportation spell one more time, at least she hoped it was, to get to her prize.

“Oh.”, Hecate whispered as she materialised in a room filled with her favourite flowers. Lilies, roses, freesias and daisies filled every available surface. She stared at them transfixed until she felt a subtle movement at either side of her. 

“Did you two girls do this?”, she asked, wrapping an arm around Seren and Celeste. 

“We helped.”, Seren whispered. “But this isn’t your surprise.’

Seeing how confused their mother was, Celeste took her arm and gently guided her to turn to the left a little. “Ma has something to ask you.”

It took Hecate several seconds to realise what was happening. And as Ada walked towards her, reaching for her hands with a nervous expression on her face, things started to make sense.

“Hecate, I’ve loved you for over fifteen years now, and I will love you for the rest of our lives and beyond. Together we have built a wonderful family, and I know that we are very happy together, but there is something, a promise I made to you a long time ago and now I truly believe the time is right to fulfil that promise.”

Feeling the emotions rising in her chest, Hecate squeezed Ada’s had and gave a shaky smile indicating that she felt the same way. 

Ada took a deep breath, then asked the question that had been in the forefront of her mind for so long. “Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?”

“Yes.” , Hecate answered. “I would be honoured, Ada.”

As their mothers kissed, Seren and Celeste jumped around the room in much the same way they had when they’d first heard the idea. 

“You’re getting married; you’re getting married.”, they singsonged until they realised the kissing had stopped and their mothers were regarding them with bemused expressions and open arms.

“Properly married.”, Seren clarified. “I mean, we know you’re practically married already, but this is extra special.”

“You’re right.” Hecate agreed, catching Ada’s eye and seeing the love she felt for her partner reflected back to her “We’ve felt married for a long time, but this is incredibly special. Thank you, all of you, for such a wonderful surprise.”

“Thank you for saying yes.” Ada, as well as excitement, was feeling a sense of relief that the proposal had gone so well and she knew two special people had played a massive part in that. “I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off without these two, thank you both.”

Celeste beamed. “You’re welcome; we enjoyed every bit of it. We like organising things.”

“It’s a good job you do.” Ada pulled her three girls close. “Because now we have a wedding to organise.”

She was right, there was a wedding to organise, but much to Hecate’s, and secretly Ada’s relief, Alma and her twin helpers were more than happy to take on the majority of that responsibility. 

“Do you want pink or red flowers on the table?” There was an expectant look on Seren’s face as she cornered Ada coming out of the bathroom. 

“Can I come back to you tomorrow on that?” Ada crossed the hallway to her bedroom where she immediately started to get dressed. “I’m running late for this blasted Witch’s Council meeting.”

Seren sighed, “You said tomorrow yesterday.” 

Before Ada could respond Hecate, who had appeared at just the right moment, answered for them both. “Pink for the centrepieces. Now, let your mother finish dressing and help your sister set the dinner table, please. The three of us will be eating shortly and just for this evening, flowers, dresses and any other wedding discussions are off the table. Do I make myself clear?”

Knowing what that tone meant, Seren quickly agreed. “Yes, Mummy. Have a good time tonight Ma.” 

“Thank you.” Ada smiled gratefully at Hecate as Seren left the room. “And thank you, my love.” 

“You’re welcome.”, Hecate shrugged. “I knew that you would choose the pink when you had time to think about it.”

Ada wrapped her arms around her fiancé’s waist and winked. “Probably, though I meant for encouraging Seren to take a bit of a break from the planning for this evening. It is getting a little much; I’m almost relieved to have to attend what we both know is going to be a very boring event.”

Hecate knew just what Ada meant. These gatherings tended to be full of blowhards and social climbers, and so she had been exceptionally grateful that Ada had volunteered to attend this year's event alone while she stayed with the girls. “Are you sure you’ll be alright by yourself?”. she whispered while zipping up Ada’s black dress. 

“I’ll be fine. Mona and Charles will be there, and I’ll be escaping as soon as possible.” Ada reached for her scarf and bag and pecked Hecate on the lips. “I’d better go. Who knows, maybe this year it won’t be so bad?”

Her optimism was soon proven to be misplaced as she saw that she had been placed next to the Hallows for the meal. Her mood deteriorated even further when, as soon as dinner was over, she was cornered by Ursula Hallow who, in her typically snide way, was pressing her for information about the wedding. 

“A small wedding?”, Ursula wrinkled her nose in obvious disgust. “We had over 500 people at ours, and it was absolutely wonderful. Though I suppose it was expensive and money must be an issue for you.”

Ada swallowed her irritation and plastered a fake smile on her face before answering. “It has nothing to do with money Ursula. We want a private day with family and close friends only.” She saw that her emphasis on the last part hadn’t gone unnoticed and for one glorious moment thought she had stopped Mrs Hallow in her tracks. 

How wrong she was. 

“Well, I suppose Hecate doesn’t really have any family to invite, does she?”, Ursula smirked. “I mean her parents are both dead, aren’t they? No brothers and sisters. That must be difficult.”

Ada narrowed her eyes. “She has a family. She has me, Seren and Celeste.”

“Well yes.”, Ursula simpered. “It’s just a pity she doesn’t have a better relationship with the children.”

“Pardon me?”

“Oh, Ada.” Ursula shifted closer and lowered her voice. “I know all about it, Hecate’s drinking and how Celeste is afraid of her and Seren has already started to rebel. I can’t say I’m surprised; history does tend to repeat herself, doesn’t it? Didn’t her mother have the same problem?”

“Ursula, where did you hear this absolute nonsense?” Ada had a strong feeling she already knew the answer. 

“Agatha. She told me everything, how you’re going ahead with the wedding out of obligation but I agree with her Ada, you should step back from the whole thing, for the sake of your daughters if nothing else.”

Ada rose quickly from her chair and gathered her things, but before she left, she had something to say. “Mrs Hallow, you’ve seen my partner and children together. Any fool, even you, could see that they adore each other. I don’t know why my sister told you such things, but I can categorically say they are untrue. I will also tell you right now that if you repeat a single word of any of it, I will tell everyone what I know about your husband's current financial predicaments.” She saw the colour drain from Ursula’s face. “That’s the thing with Agatha, she spins a lot of yarns, but occasionally she tells the truth. Goodnight.” 

Within minutes Ada had gathered her broomstick and was on her way to the rented house where Agatha was currently living, her anger rising by the second. She’d known her sister wasn’t too happy about the wedding, Alma had let a couple of things slip, as had Mona, but Ada had written that off as jealousy.

“She’s gone too far.”, Ada muttered as she landed. “Way too far.” She snatched up her broomstick and marched towards the door ready to confront her sister. 

“Stop banging.”, Agatha shouted. “I’m coming.” With a sigh of irritation, she flung open the door, finding an irate Ada waiting on the doorstep. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Yes, it’s me” Ada barged into the house, the anger radiating from every part of her body. 

“Come on in.” Agatha, sarcastic as always gestured towards the open door. “To what do I owe the pleasure? Though I must say, I’m honoured you got that dressed up to visit little old me.”

Ada turned on her heel and made sure she was right in Agatha’s face before hissing, “I’ve just come from the Witch’s Council dinner where Ursula Hallow couldn’t wait to share every single lie you’ve been spreading about Hecate.”

“Me?” Agatha feigned innocence though she could tell she wasn’t going to wiggle out of this one easily. “I’ve done nothing of the sort.”

“Stop it.”, Ada spat. “For once in your life tell the truth. She knew about Hecate’s mother, the only person who could have told her about that was you.” 

She thought back to what she’d found out that Agatha knew about Hecate’s family history. Lazy and troublesome her sister may have been, but she knew a lot of people and had a knack for gathering even the most personal information. She had promised never to share what she had found out, but Ada now realised she had been a fool to believe her. 

“Well, I may have said something.”, Agatha admitted. “But it seemed like she already knew.”

“Stop lying.” Ada’s voice rose alarmingly. “She knew nothing about it, you told her. You also told her that Hecate had a terrible relationship with her own children, the children she adores. You lied about your nieces Agatha; you told her that Celeste was afraid and Seren was rebelling. How could you? Why would you do such a thing.”

Agatha’s face was flushed bright pink but rather than admitting her wrongdoings; she went straight into defensive mode. “You’re making it sound far worse than it was, as usual. All I said was that I didn’t see why you needed to marry Hecate. I still don’t if I’m honest.”

“Because I love her. Because she’s the mother of my children. Because in every possible way we can be, we want to be a family.”, Ada roared. 

“No need to shout.”, Agatha smirked. It was rare for Ada to get this angry, which should have given her enough of a warning, but she was damned if she was going to back down, in fact, she was just in the mood for a good argument. “And you can justify yourself all you want sister dear, but it seems like a lot of fuss over nothing to me. Mother can hardly speak of anything else apart from the wedding and how she can’t wait for Hecate to join the family officially. Honestly, my mother had two children, and I’m the third favourite. She’s not even a Cackle, married or not she’ll always be Hecate Hardbroom.”

“In that case, ” Ada’s voice had lowered again, not because the anger had passed, but because she didn’t want any of her words to get lost in the shouting. “Seeing as you have such a problem with our wedding plans, I think it’s better for everyone if you stay away.”

“Fine with me.”, Agatha spat back. “I have far better things to do with my time.” 

“And from Seren and Celeste.” 

Ada’s words stopped Agatha in her tracks. “You can’t do that. I’m their aunt; they love me.” 

“And I’m their mother, just as Hecate is. If you have a problem with her, that’s your issue, but I’m not having you try and influence our children. Nothing is more important than my girls Agatha, all three of them ” Ada kept her gaze locked on the identical blue eyes. “I’m warning you, stay away until you can stop this nastiness permanently and are ready to be part of the family again.” 

A little over an hour later, Ada entered her bedroom and let out a long sigh of relief.

“Did you have a good evening?” Hecate lifted her gaze from the book she was reading and quickly realised the answer was no. “What’s happened?”

“Agatha is no longer invited to the wedding.” Ada cast a spell to ready herself for bed before crawling into Hecate’s warm embrace. “I’ll tell you everything tomorrow but for now, can we just stay like this for a bit?”

“We can do anything you want.”, Hecate promised. “Anything at all.” 

A few miles away, Agatha lay alone in her own bed, anger and disappointment radiating from her body. “She thinks she’s so superior, just like Hecate.”, she fumed to herself before punching the pillow in frustration. “How dare she tell me where I can and cannot go and who I can and cannot see? “

Something deep inside told her Ada was right, that Agatha should stay away from the wedding, and until she got her jealousy under control, should stay away from her nieces. But right before she could shut it off, that annoying little voice reminded her that no matter how she denied it, Ada’s parting words had also been correct. 

“It’s not your place to have a problem with any of this.”


	6. Mixed Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Ada and Hecate's wedding draws closer, something happens that shows just how much Agatha has changed. Or is she just showing her true colours?

“As we said, we thought it was important for you to know that Auntie Agatha won’t be coming to the wedding, but we promise you both, it will still be a wonderful day.” 

Having shared the news with her daughters, Ada reached for Hecate’s hand and watched the reactions, neither of which surprised her. 

“Okay.” Seren shrugged. “If she’s in a sulk about something then leave her be, we’re going to have a great day, and she’s going to be the one missing out.” 

Ada nodded in agreement. “We are going to have a wonderful day..”

“We will.”, Hecate smiled, though her eyes never left Celeste. “Are you alright?”

Celeste let out a loud sigh. “I just feel bad that she won’t be there. Maybe if you asked her again? Or give her time to get over whatever it is you argued about? The wedding is still a couple of months away after all.” 

“No.” It wasn’t often Ada used her firmest tone of voice, but this time she deemed it essential to ensure there was no confusion. “This is not about Agatha getting over things; this is not about her at all, which is a lesson my sister needs to learn. She is not invited to the wedding, and what's more, I have asked her to stay away from both of you.”

“For how long?”, Celeste whispered.

“Until she can be trusted to behave like a decent human being.” 

There was a lot Celeste wanted to say, but the resolved look on her Ma’s face, as well as the mix of hurt and quiet fury on her Mum’s, told her to stay silent for now.

“She doesn’t want to be there Celly, and that’s her choice.” It was bedtime and Seren, hating how upset her sister looked, was trying her best to offer practical advice. “Leave her to sulk on her own if that’s what she wants to do. We don’t need her there.”

It was true, they didn’t, but that didn’t stop Celeste worrying about their Aunt and wanting to make sure she was okay. Despite Ada’s stance on the matter, she even secretly tried to mirror Agatha, rationalising it was better that someone make an effort, even if she did get in trouble for doing so. It seemed however that the risk was in vain however, as her mirror calls always went unanswered. It appeared to Celeste that Agatha had vanished into thin air, and nobody, not even her Nanny Alma was too worried. 

“This isn’t the first time she’s gone off to lick her wounds somewhere.”. Alma told her granddaughter in her usual no-nonsense tone. “And it won’t be the last, but I don’t want you worrying your head about her. Now, are you sure you’ll be alright by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine Nanny.” Celeste was secretly very proud that she had been trusted to look after Nell, her grandmother ’s cat who was recovering from minor surgery. “You’d better go or you’ll be late for the meeting.” 

Alma bristled at the very notion of being late for her weekly Witch’s Guild meeting. “I’ll be back by six.”, she called before disappearing into thin air. 

“Seren is so jealous.”, Celeste whispered to the half-asleep cat. “Though it’s her own fault she couldn’t be here. It’s like Mummy told her, if she hadn’t left her essay to the last minute again she could have come too.” 

Nell yawned before making herself even more comfortable in the young witch’s lap.

“Guess I’m trapped.”, Celeste thought to herself before summoning the book she had brought along. For a moment her mind drifted to Agatha again, but she concluded that it was best to try and take her Nanny’s advice, even though she desperately hoped it wouldn't take long for her Aunt to make contact. 

An hour passed quickly, with Celeste engrossed in her book in blissful silence, that was until a strange noise caught her attention. 

“Shh.”, Celeste hushed Nell who had been awoken by the sound. “It’s just the wind.” She had almost convinced herself that this was true, when another noise, almost like a scraping sound came from the room next door. Knowing that something was amiss, Celeste crept down the hallway until she reached the door to Alma’s study. She was nervous but dismissed the idea of calling her mothers. “It’s probably a bird that flew in through the window like the one last summer”, she told herself. “And if it is, Seren will never stop laughing at me for calling for help.” 

Still feeling a slight flutter of nerves in her stomach, she slowly pushed open the door, then stopped in her tracks when she saw what was happening in the room. 

“Where is it? Where is it?”, Agatha muttered aloud as she rifled through the roll-top desk where she knew her mother kept important paperwork. 

“Where’s what?”

The murmur from the doorway was enough to stop Agatha in her tracks. 

“What are you doing here?” Agatha turned on her heels to face her shocked looking niece. For a moment, she was torn, she had missed the girls of course, but things had changed. Now she had a task to complete, one that Celeste had interrupted, and that was something Agatha could not allow. 

“I’m taking care of Nell.”, Celeste whispered. “What are you doing here, and why are you going through Nanny’s things?”

Furious with herself for assuming that just knowing Alma’s weekly routine would be enough, Agatha immediately went into defensive mode. “That’s none of your business.”, she snarled.

“But…”, Celeste was confused, both by her aunt’s behaviour and how she was speaking to her “Do you need something? Nanny will be back soon; I’m sure she can help you. Or maybe…”

“No.”, Agatha shouted. “She’s the last person I need help from you stupid girl.”

The words hit Celeste like a blow to the stomach. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you being so mean to me? Is it because of the fight with Ma? Or are you upset about the wedding?“

“I don’t care about the blasted wedding.” Agatha threw the papers that she had deemed useless across the room and fixed her gaze on her niece. “I don’t care about your perfect mothers, or their perfect lives, or their perfect little accidents. Let my sister make another big mistake, see if I care.”

“W…what?”, Celeste stuttered. “What do you mean?” 

Agatha knew she was causing pain, but at that moment she no longer cared. She was so frustrated that her plans to take what she needed from Alma’s house had been in vain that she needed an outlet. And just as Ada had many times over the years, Celeste was going to bear the brunt of that frustration. 

“You know full well that you and your sister weren’t planned, that you weren't wanted.” 

Celeste shook her head. Yes, they knew they hadn’t been planned, but their mothers had always described them as a wonderful surprise. “No, that’s not true, we were wanted.”

Agatha pretended to think for a moment. “Hmmm, maybe Ada was pleased enough, in the end. But as for your precious Mummy.” She paused for maximum effect. “She would have gotten rid of you given half a chance.” 

For a moment Celeste couldn’t breathe, the words washed over her bringing a wave of hurt like she had never felt before. But also there was something else that stopped her from believing the wicked words. It was a voice in the back of her head, Seren’s voice, telling her that it wasn’t true, that Agatha had done this before, that she said cruel, untrue things about their Mummy. All of a sudden she realised what had caused the argument between her Ma and Agatha. 

“That’s not true; Mummy loves us. You're a liar and you're jealous, you’ve always been jealous.”

It was true, and Agatha knew it, but there was no way she was going to let that show. “Oh really?”, she plastered on a fake smile. “Jealous of my dumpy sister and her boring life stuck in that prison she calls a school, trapped by her sense of duty, trapped by you and your sister and soon to be trapped forever by Hecate Hardbroom. Oh yes, I’m green with envy.” 

There was plenty more she could have said, but the sound of a familiar voice in the hallway told her it was too late, her treasure would have to wait for now. 

“Celeste?” Alma stood in the doorway and took in the sight of scattered papers and her shaken granddaughter. ‘What on earth has been going on here? Are you alright?”

“No.”, Celeste sobbed, running into Alma’s familiar strong embrace. “Can you call my Mummy please?” 

Within minutes Hecate was there, and although it may not have been apparent to anyone who didn’t know her well, she was frantic. 

“I know I should have called for help when I heard the noise, but I thought it was a bird, like before. It was only when I opened the door and saw her going through Nanny’s things….”

“Shhh.”, Hecate soothed, her gaze moving to Alma. “Is anything missing?”

“No.”, Alma answered. “I don’t know what she was looking for but if it was something valuable she wouldn’t have found it here. I moved everything to a safe deposit box years ago.”

“And never told Agatha.” Hecate finished the sentence in her mind before refocusing on her daughter. “What else happened?”

Celeste dabbed her eyes before glancing at her grandmother. “Nanny, would you mind if I talked to Mummy alone please?” 

“Not at all.” Alma smiled before magicking up a tray of tea and Celeste’s favourite biscuits. “You take all the time you need.”

Once they were alone, Celeste took a moment before deciding it was best to tell her mother everything. “I’m sorry.", she whispered once she had finished. 

“Why are you sorry?” Hecate was confused. 

“Because she said mean things about you. And I'm sorry that I tried to contact her when you and Ma told me not to.”

While normally Hecate would have taken a blatant disregard of rules by her children very seriously, she could just about understand Celeste's reason for disobeying Ada. "You thought you were doing the right thing, but next time both your mother and I would rather you spoke to us rather than taking matters into your own hands. 

"I will." 

"Good. And as for everything she said about me, you know it's all untrue, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.”, Celeste nodded. “I just hate that she was so nasty about you. I hate that she lied, that she tried to steal from Nanny. But most of all, I hate that she’s not the person I thought she was. I thought that she was our friend, that she was this person who we could have fun with like we did when we were little, but she’s not like that, is she?”

Hecate considered her answer for a moment. “She was. As you said, when you and Seren were younger she was far more involved that your mother and I ever expected her to be. We had hoped that would continue, but things have changed, and I cannot tell you exactly why. She’s never liked me much though we did manage a truce for a while. But ever since the disaster when she was involved with the school even that tenuous relationship has not managed to survive.”

“This isn’t the first time she’s said something bad and hurt you, is it?”

“It is not.”, Hecate answered honestly. 

“And that's what the argument with Ma was about?”

“Yes.” Hecate paused, unsure of how much to share but she reasoned that it was important for Celeste to know that this was clearly part of a pattern of behaviour. “She spread a rumour about me and my relationship with you and your sister, similar untruths to the ones you told me. Your mother heard about it and confronted her. During the argument, it became clear that Agatha did not support our marriage and would never accept me as part of the Cackle family.” 

“You are part of the family.” Celeste reached for her mother’s hand and squeezed it tightly before carrying on.

“I do like to think so.” Hecate squeezed back. “I can’t explain it, Celeste, even Ada can’t, but it seems Agatha has a self-destructive mode that right now is in full effect.”

“She’s jealous.”, Celeste repeated what she had told Agatha earlier that evening.

“Of me?” 

“Maybe, but I think she’s more jealous of Ma. Think about it: Ma has a job she loves, when was the last time we heard anything about Auntie Agatha’s work? She doesn’t have a good relationship with Nanny, she doesn’t have any real friends like Ma does, and she doesn’t have a family who loves her the way we love Ma and each other. And she certainly doesn’t have someone who wants to spend the rest of their life with her the way you and Ma want to do with each other.” 

Hecate considered the idea for a moment. “You may be right, though perhaps we will never know. I wish we could help her Celeste, truly I do, but quite honestly I agree with your mother, I already did but tonight confirmed it. Until she can prove that she wants to be part of our family for the right reasons, and be a positive influence on you girls, we can’t have her in our lives.”

It was still painful, but Celeste agreed. “I won’t try and contact her again, I promise.”

“That may be for the best.” Hecate went to stand up. “We should get back to the castle; your mother will be desperate to see for herself that you’re alright.”

“Before we go.” Celeste took Hecate’s hand again, encouraging her to sit back down for a moment. “You know how it’s up to Seren and me who we stand with at the wedding?”

“Yes.” 

“Well, I was thinking, I’d really like to stand with you. I know Ma and Seren will be happy with that too. Is that okay?”

“Of course.” Hecate eagerly accepted the hug that immediately followed her answer. “If that will make you happy, I would be honoured.” 

“It will make me very happy.” Celeste gave a watery smile. “Besides, don’t tell Ma but I think you have better taste in clothes.”

“Really?” Hecate arched an eyebrow, though inside she was glowing from the compliment. 

“Definitely. I’ve got loads of ideas for what I want to wear, will you help me please?”

“There is nothing I would like more.”

As Celeste said goodbye to Nell and gathered her things, Hecate and Alma briefly discussed the events of the afternoon. 

“I told Celeste we can’t have Agatha in our lives right now, but tell me honestly, should Ada and I do something, try to contact her?”

“No.” Alma was firm. “It pains me to say this Hecate, but Agatha is her own worst enemy. Look at all the chances she’s had with me and Ada, with the school, the relationship you and Ada allowed her to build with the twins. You know the fact that she has come into my home searching for goodness knows what, it angers me, though I’ve forgiven her worse over the years. But the fact that she upset Celeste, that is unforgivable.”

“I do wish that hadn’t happened.” Nothing hurt Hecate more than seeing her family suffer.

“So do I, but perhaps it’s for the best. Now both girls can both see what Agatha can be like.” Alma decided to share an observation she had previously made. “Though I get the feeling that Seren has been wise to her. for some time.”

“You may be right.” , Hecate agreed, though it was later that evening when she received confirmation that Alma was indeed correct. 

“Well yes, she’s been mean in the past. And before you ask, I didn’t say anything because I knew it wasn’t true and I didn't want to hurt your feelings”, Seren told her mothers before she went to bed. “But had I known that things would have turned out like this I would have said something. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.” Ada could see that Seren was as shaken by what had happened as the rest of them were. “We’re proud that you knew it wasn’t true.”

“Of course I did.”, Seren smiled. “Oh, before I forget, I don’t have to wear what Celeste is wearing to the wedding do I?”

“We already said you didn’t.”, Ada reminded her. 

“Good, because there’s no way I’m wearing that goth getup she wants to wear.” She gave Hecate a cheeky look. “No offence.”

“Every offence taken.”, Hecate drawled. “Isn’t it past your bedtime?”

“I’m going. I’m going.” Seren held her hands up in a mock surrender gesture, sighing dramatically as she did so. “Honestly, an extra five minutes won’t do me any harm. I'll be wide awake and ready for potions class tomorrow, don’t worry.”

Add couldn’t help giggling at the familiar exchange. “We’ll go shopping on Saturday; I’m sure we’ll find you something comfortable to wear.”

“As long as we can go for tea and cake too. Night.”

“Goodnight.” , both parents responded warmly. 

“That dramatic flair she has, that's all you.” Ada had already leaned over to rest her head on Hecate’s shoulder, but could still picture the faux-shocked look on her partner's face.

“Me? Hardly, she’s more like you, staying up half the night reading and thinking we don’t know about it.”

“They both do that.”, Ada pointed out. 

“That is true." 

“They’re like us both.” Ada mused aloud. “But more and more they’re becoming their own individuals as they get older.”

“Indeed.”, Hecate agreed. “And I still can’t believe our luck that those wonderful, intelligent, beautiful girls are ours and that together we have this wonderful family.”

Those words came back to Ada several weeks later on a warm June morning, as she stood next to her new wife with their beaming daughters stood at either side of them. Seren had eventually chosen a flowing Grecian-style baby blue dress that complimented Ada’s light pink dress and matching jacket. Meanwhile, Celeste looked marvellous in a grey and white lace gown that worked perfectly with Hecate’s black and silver dress.

“I still think that thing on her head is too much.” Seren had whispered loudly that morning, indicating the fascinator that Celeste had made from grey feathers, and a black rose Algernon had produced for her. 

Ada had hidden her grin and lightly chastised Seren for teasing her sister, doing the same when Celeste retorted that her twin couldn't even spell style, let alone recognise it, even when it was right in front of her. 

Though she was amused, the interaction reminded Ada of when she and Agatha had managed to have fun together. She felt a pang of regret for her sister who was missing out of the happiness of the day. Deep down she knew the sorrow was pointless. Agatha would not have shared in their joy, and it was still for the best that she had not attended and potentially ruined what was turning out to be the second best day of Ada's life.

“What was the first?” Celeste asked when her Ma told them the day's ranking on their way to the reception area.

“The day we were born of course.”, Seren answered easily. “Wasn’t it?”

The mothers shared a look, then nodded in unison. 

“Yes.” , Hecate agreed. “Any day will come second to that.” 

As the happy family of four made their way to join their guests, they were blissfully aware of the figures lurking in the shadows. 

“We must go now.” 

“Yes.” , Agatha agreed. 

“How do you feel?”

In truth, Agatha wasn’t sure how to answer. “My emotions are rather mixed.”

“That’s normal at this stage, you feel torn, but as long as you keep doing what we instruct you to do, that will pass. And remember, this part isn’t forever, you will see them in the future if that is what you want, though you will be different then.

“I know.” Agatha stood up tall and turned to face her companion. “I’m ready.”

Before they disappeared, she couldn’t resist taking one more glance. Ada and Hecate who were holding hands had gone on ahead, while Seren and Celeste were giggling at something, their arms linked together as they shared yet another secret. 

Try as she might Agatha could not help remembering the little girls who had laughed like that as they cuddled close to her and begged for a story or a funny song. Then, she remembered Celeste’s last words to her, words that contradicted what she had promised in the past and had convinced Agatha once and for all she was doing the right thing now.

_You’re not our friend.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, as always thoughts and questions are very welcome. 
> 
> The next chapter will take us back to where we started this story, but don't worry, we're not forgetting about Agatha's side of things, all will be revealed in time.


	7. Maybe We're Not So Different After All?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the dust settles after Seren and Celeste's arrival home, they decide to get to know the newest student at the Academy. Meanwhile, Mildred discovers that perhaps her family isn't as different to magical ones as she once thought.

It was the day after Seren and Celeste’s arrival at the school, and, from what Mildred could see, the fuss around the Cackle girls had not lessened one bit. 

“They’re great Millie, really. And so clever. Seren is going to be a potions teacher like Miss Hardbroom and Celeste is studying magical design and technology.”

“You seem to know them pretty well.”, Mildred commented as she and Maud had chatted in her room the night before. 

Maud shrugged. “As far as my Granny is concerned, they’re honorary nieces so they’ve often been at her house when I was there. They even babysat me and my cousins which was loads of fun.”

She knew it was silly, but the fact that Maud’s grandmother was Miss Cackle’s best friend was even more of a reminder to Mildred that she was out of her depth. She wasn’t from a witching family and she had no connections to this world. 

"No wonder everyone except Maud and perhaps Miss Cackle thinks I don't belong here." 

The thought remained with Mildred as, from her spot on a bench at the far side of the courtyard, she watched as her fellow students crowded around the twins, asking questions and clearly wanting to be noticed by them. 

“I think I’ve been noticed enough for now.” Mildred was still cringing at the events of the day before and despite Maud’s reassurances the previous evening, she was still too embarrassed to cross the courtyard to join the crowd of girls. But deep down, not that she would admit it, she too wanted to get to know their teachers’ children. 

“Millie?”

Mildred had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Maud had broken away from the crowd, and she wasn’t alone. 

“Oh.” Mildred scrambled to her feet as she saw her new friend, along with Seren and Celeste standing in front of her. 

“Relax.” Seren laughed. “We’re not here to inspect you, we just wanted to say hello. Can we join you?”

Mildred nodded mutely while slowly lowering herself back onto the bench. She was only vaguely surprised at the other bench that magically appeared for Seren and her sister to sit on while Maud sat next to her and explained why they were there. 

“Seren and Celeste wanted to spend some time with you, Millie.”

“Me?” Mildred was confused. 

“Yes, you.” Seren smiled warmly. “We wanted to apologise for being so abrupt with you yesterday. It’s just that we’d been planning to surprise our mothers and we didn’t really think that it might look a bit odd to anyone else.”

Mildred flushed. “You don’t need to apologise to me.”

Celeste shook her head. “Yes, we do. But more importantly, we need to thank you for what you did to help the school, and especially our Ma. We’re very grateful Mildred and I know our parents are too.” 

She knew she was blushing furiously, but Mildred didn’t care. She also couldn’t keep the shy smile from spreading across her face. “It’s okay.” 

The previous day she had been so embarrassed that she hadn’t gotten a proper look at them but now, feeling a bit more at ease she could see that not alone were they identical, they were also each without question their mothers' daughters. 

“What is it?”, Celeste asked with a grin. “You look like you’re thinking about something.”

“I’m sorry.”, Mildred flushed again. “I was just thinking how much you look like your parents, both of them.”

It wasn’t the first time Seren and Celeste had heard that observation, and far from being offended, they both beamed with pride. 

“We do. Mum’s face shape and complexion.” Celeste smiled. 

“And Ma’s smile and hair, well, before she went grey anyway.” 

Mildred giggled as she at the twins’ hair, which was an almost chocolate- copper colour that in Celeste’s case ran down her back while Seren’s was tied back in a messy ponytail.

“Hey.”, Seren mock-chastised. “You mightn’t believe it now, but Ma had exactly the same hair as us until we turned it grey, well that’s what she tells us.”

“We’re not that bad.”, Celeste reassured their new companion.

It was becoming very clear to Mildred what Maud had meant, Seren and Celeste were lovely and she was already feeling far more at ease with them. “It must have been nice growing up with Miss Cackle as a mother, she seems very kind.” 

“She is.”, Seren nodded. “And so is our Mum.”

“I didn’t mean, that is, I just thought.” Mildred could have kicked herself. She was just getting to know Seren and Celeste and already she’d put her foot in it. And apparently, she wasn’t finished yet. “I can’t imagine her as a mother, I mean I can’t even imagine her being pregnant, I mean..” 

She caught the expression on Maud’s face out of the corner of her eye and stopped short, her hand flying towards her mouth in mortification. “I’m sorry.” She went to stand up but was stopped by a hand on her arm encouraging her to stay right where she was. 

“She is a mother.”, Celeste spoke softly but firmly. “She’s our mother and we love her very much, just as Maud tells us you love your Mum.” 

“I do.”, Mildred whispered. “I’m sorry.” 

“The apologies are going to get pretty old, pretty fast.” 

As Seren spoke Mildred could see yet another resemblance to one of their mothers, that no-nonsense tone she already associated with Miss Hardbroom, though there was a twinkle in Seren’s eye that indicated she wasn’t too upset. 

“And by the way, not that it’s very important but she wasn’t pregnant, Ma carried us, which is a long story that we won’t go into now, okay?”

“Okay. I’m so…” On seeing the two identical faces giving her a look of warning, Mildred took a deep breath to calm herself, a gesture Celeste immediately picked up on. 

“You must be missing your Mum.”

“I am.”, Mildred sighed. “It's always been just us, I don’t have a Dad and that makes us really close. I’ve never been away from her, well not for more than a couple of nights before, and it’s really hard.”

Both Seren and Celeste could completely empathise with Mildred’s situation, they had missed their mothers terribly when they had left for University. 

“Do you want to tell us about her?”, Celeste prompted. “What’s she like?”

It didn’t take long for Mildred’s natural storytelling abilities to come into full effect, and she was soon regaling the other girls with stories of her childhood.

“She just makes everything so much fun. Even when we went on holiday to Skegness and it rained so much we couldn’t leave the caravan for a week, we still had a great time.” Then, assuming her new friends wouldn’t be able to relate, she felt the need to explain. “We didn’t, well, we don’t have a lot of money so we never had big holidays, but they were still brilliant.”

“We completely understand.”, Celeste reassured her. “We didn’t have much money growing up either, but we still had lots of fun.” She looked at her sister with a big grin. “Do you remember our big holiday when we were six? We camped out in the sitting room and told stories and sang songs.”

“And ate biscuits.”, Seren laughed. “It was the best holiday ever.” She could see Mildred looking at them both with her mouth wide open. “What? It was!”

“But..”, Mildred pointed to the castle. “You must have had money, you lived in a castle that your family owns.”

Seren rolled her eyes. “Technically, yes, but it’s not how you think. This place requires a lot of maintenance which is where a lot of the money that comes from the Witches Council goes to. Also, teaching isn’t the best-paid job in the world and Ma and Mum have always had a rule that they only took enough of a wage for us to live on. Don’t get me wrong, we always had food and clothes and plenty of books, but holidays were a luxury and there wasn’t always money for that.”

“So, really, we’re not that different to you.”, Celeste added. “And our parents aren’t that different to your Mum.”

Mildred shook her head ruefully, “I can’t imagine Miss Hardbroom dressing up like a bumblebee the way my Mum did for my seventh birthday.” 

“No, but for our birthday parties she’s dressed up as a fairy, a cat and one year, after a lot of nagging, a twinkling star to fit with the constellation theme we insisted on."

"I still think it was a brilliant idea, especially for two five-year-olds." Seren beamed at the memory. "Besides, she and Ma gave us both names that were linked to stars so it was only fitting that they played their parts."

Mildred was in fits at the images in her mind, but she still had a point to prove. “My Mum showed up here with a toilet brush in her hand, I doubt yours even knows what one of those is.”

“Probably not.”, Celeste agreed. “But Mum’s had plenty of embarrassing moments. Like when Seren got into her underwear drawer and decided her pants were better worn as a hat during the Grand Wizard’s visit.”

“You didn’t?” Maud had never heard that story before.

“I did.” , Seren shrugged. “And now I can see that it probably wasn’t my finest moment. By the way, none of this is for repeating okay?”

Maud and Mildred both nodded. “We promise.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”, Mildred told them. “She already doesn’t like me I’m not going to give her more reason to get rid of me.” 

“That’s not true.” Celeste leaned over and touched Mildred’s arm again. “She’s very grateful for what you did.” 

“She still thinks I don’t belong here.” 

“Then show her that you do. Work with her, not against her. Mum is tough, no question about that, she’s strict and she has no problem in expressing her opinion.” 

“Even if she’s not right.”, Seren muttered. 

“But..”, Mildred tried to interrupt but Seren didn’t allow her. 

“Look, she’s the strictest teacher I’ve ever come across but she has your best interests at heart and Mildred, if you want to be a witch, a real, skilled witch, there’s nobody better you could learn the rules of magic from.” 

Mildred still wasn’t convinced. “Even if I’m the worst witch in the school?”

Celeste smiled. “That’s the thing about being the worst, you can always get better. I’m sure Maud and your classmates will help.”

Maud put her arm around her new best friend and grinned. “I will, and so will the others, though maybe not Ethel.”

Having already gotten a clear impression of Ethel Hallow, Celeste agreed. “Probably not, but I don’t think you want help from someone like that.” She looked to her sister and saw a discreet nod of agreement before making an offer. “And if you’re very stuck, you can always mirror us. Maud has our numbers and we’re happy for you to have them.”

“Really?” Mildred’s face lit up. 

“Yes.” There was another part to Celeste’s offer, one she wanted to make very clear to Mildred. “And not just if you need help, please promise us you’ll let us know if we’re needed here.”

Immediately Millie understood. “Agatha?”

“Yes.”

“I will.”, Mildred promised. “Though hopefully she’s learned her lesson.”

Celeste wasn’t so sure but she gave a tight smile before asking a question that had been on her mind since the previous day. “How did you know it wasn’t Ma?”

Mildred thought for a minute. “Well, besides the fact that she didn’t have any lemon drops, which was totally weird- it was the way she was speaking to me. She was mean, and I know I haven’t known Miss Cackle for long but she’s always been so kind to me and this person wasn’t. She said mean things to me, like that Maud deserved better friends. She was just nasty.”

Both Seren and Celeste knew what Mildred meant, Agatha’s nasty tongue was the biggest difference between her and Ada and they while they were sorry that Mildred had been affected by it, they were happy that she had easily picked up the difference. 

“Thank you.” Celeste reached into the pocket of her black net skirt and pulled out a paper bag. “And Ma’s not the only one who carries sweets with her- fancy a strawberry cream?”

“Or an apple drop?” From the canvas bag at her side Seren pulled out a matching brown bag, seeing the amused look on the younger girls faces as she did so “What? We’re Cackles and we like sweets.”

“And so do we.” Mildred eagerly took one of each sweet before glancing at the clock. “Oh, we’d better go, we’ll be late for chanting otherwise.” 

“We can’t have that, it will be all around the school that the Cackles girls are leading you astray. We’ll probably end in detention or something” Seren stood up along with Celeste and instinctively hugged both girls. 

“Thank you.” Mildred blushed again as Celeste hugged her. “Maud was right, you are very nice.”

“She said the same about you, and she was definitely right. Take care Millie, remember what we said and we’ll see you again soon.”

“I hope so.” Mildred walked away, arm in arm with Maud, feeling a lot more reassured, both regarding her place in the school and in the knowledge that had two new friends.

Left on their own, Seren and Celeste sat back down on the bench and popped a sweet in their mouths as they pondered the events of the previous days. 

“Do you think we’ll ever understand what goes on in her head?”, Seren whispered, knowing full well she didn’t need to name exactly who she was talking about. “Or where that sense of entitlement she has comes from?”

“No.”, Celeste sighed. “And honestly, I’m not sure I would even want to know how her mind works. I will say this though, I think she’ll be back, and I’m pretty sure Ma and Mum do too.”

“Me too.”, Seren agreed. “And while that worries me, I know they can handle anything she throws at them.”

“They can.” Celeste smiled as she saw their parents walking across the courtyard to meet them. “And even if we can’t be here with them like we want to be, they’ve got some pretty great help right here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading and reviewing. 
> 
> This may look like the end, but there is a little more to come. There will be an Agatha focused epilogue up before the end of this month which should give some additional explanations.


	8. Magical Freedom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To understand where we are, we must look backwards.  
> Self-reflection is not a skill Agatha possesses, but left alone in Granny Cackle's old cottage after her most recent disaster, she finds she has no choice but to think about what led her to this point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick note to say that in this story I have discounted what happened between Algernon and Miss Gullet in the show's storyline. Algernon has always been a part of Seren and Celeste's life and previous mentions of him were completely intentional on my part. Miss Gullet does have a place in the school and in Agatha's story, but in this verse let's just say she's Cackle's Health and Safety officer, rather than Spell Science teacher. 
> 
> This chapter is set at the same time as chapter one, immediately post Selection Day, but also includes a flashback to around the time of chapters 5 and 6 which should explain a little more. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy.

“Close you stupid thing.”

After several attempts, Agatha finally managed to close the heavy cottage door with a satisfying slam, though the sensation was short-lived as she surveyed her surroundings. 

“What a dump.”

Still, she reminded herself, staying at old Granny Cackle’s country cottage was far better than the alternative-staying with her mother. For a while, it had looked like she wouldn’t have a choice, that she would be kept within close proximity until they ‘decided what to do with her.’  However, after a blazing row, her mother had conceded. Agatha was an adult, her magic was currently non-existent and she had no resources to assist her. 

“You will stay at the cottage.”, a weary Alma had told her daughter.  “I will arrange for food to be delivered each week and you will use this time to think about what you have done.”

“So you’re imprisoning me?”, Agatha spat back, not wanting her mother to see that secretly she was relieved. There was nowhere else she could go right now after all, and this was the best of a very bad lot. 

“You have imprisoned yourself, Agatha.”, Alma sighed.  “And I don’t just mean now. The way you conduct yourself, the trouble you cause, you’ve been holding yourself back ever since you were a child, and quite frankly, as much as the rest of us have tried to help you, I don’t think you want to set yourself free.”

The words had stung and in the back of her mind, Agatha knew her mother wasn’t entirely wrong. Alma didn’t know the full picture, of course, she didn’t realise that had Agatha succeed in her endeavour to gain control of the castle she would have been free from everything that had held her back over the years.  She didn’t know the great things that were lying ahead if only things would go her way for once. 

“She doesn’t know what I will be once I get over this hurdle.”, Agatha muttered to herself as she flung her cloak and bag into the corner and made her way to the dusty drinks cabinet in the corner, hoping that she would find exactly what she needed most at that moment. “Jackpot.”, she breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled out the bottle of whiskey and poured a large measure into what appeared to be a relatively clean glass. 

The familiar burn of the liquid hitting the back of her throat brought some relief, though her mind was still on her mother.  Alma had always been a formidable, no-nonsense woman, full of opinions and quick to point out the wrongdoings of others, especially those of her least favourite child.  On the surface that hadn’t changed; she had in no uncertain terms outlined how disgusted she was with Agatha’s antics that day, how embarrassed she was and how the treatment of her beloved Ada and the staff and students had been inexcusable.  But something was different. Alma was older, of course she was, it had been over five years since Agatha had seen her. But more than that, she seemed tired, a word that was rarely associated with Alma Cackle. 

For a brief second, Agatha felt a flash of guilt but chased it away with another two fingers of whiskey while reminding herself of the techniques she had learned over the past few years.

“I do not need them.  The only needs I have are met by those who are like me, who understand me.”.  Desperate to restore her barriers, she repeated the mantra several times which worked in easing the guilt but did nothing to stop her racing thoughts.

Feeling the need to move, Agatha stood up quickly and still holding her glass, started to pace back and forth across the small room, the burn of humiliation from earlier that day still stronger than any alcohol. 

“Again.  Defeated yet again by a child.”  Her anger building by the second, Agatha flung the glass against the wall, watching it break and shatter into tiny pieces.  “Just like my plans. What am I going to do now? I have nothing left to give. Nothing to show that I am worthy of my position. Nothing to prove that I am ready for the next step, that I am ready for what I am entitled to.  And all because of a little brat, my saintly sister and her wife.”

Even in her thoughts, she spat the last word. Mildred Hubble may have on the surface saved the day but Agatha knew that without Hecate Hardbroom’s quick thinking, she would have been successful in taking over the school.

“Though for a moment I had her right where I wanted,”, Agatha smirked as she remembered that she had managed to convince the all-knowing Miss Hardbroom that she was Ada.  In fact, she had been pretty sure that Hecate would have embraced her had they not been interrupted. “Perish the thought,” she muttered before reaching for the whiskey bottle and taking a long swig because, not only did she want to forget about Hecate, she wanted to forget about what else had happened in that office.  She needed to forget those minutes spent looking at pictures of two girls she used to know. Two children who, as she moved along the wall filled with framed pictures, had become young women in front of her eyes. 

“I do not need them.  The only needs I have are met by those who are like me, who understand me.”.

This time the mantra had even less of an effect.  The words that had served her so well since those early days of her training were failing her, being drowned out by thoughts, memories and phrases that she had believed were part of her past. 

_ “Not your children.  Not your life. Not your school.  Not your place. Not our friends.” _

Over and over again the words went through her mind, the once familiar voices blending into one that she close to cling to in order to save herself from the memories. 

_ “This is not your life.” _

Hestia had been correct all those years before, what Agatha thought she wanted had not been right for her.  And she had been right five years before when they had met again.

Agatha remembered that night so clearly.  Still seething from the row she and Ada had had over the wedding, she had found herself in a familiar bar face-to-face with an old friend.

 

* * *

“You look like you could do with this.”  Hestia smiled before sliding the glass towards Agatha.

“You have no idea how much.”  Agatha knocked back the drink quickly.  “I have to say I didn’t expect you to see you here. I don’t believe I’ve seen you since the night you abandoned me at my sister’s place.”

Hestia signalled for two more drinks before gracefully lowering herself into the empty chair.  “You haven’t. After that night I realised that I was in the same position as you, searching for something to fill a void but not knowing exactly what.”

Agatha bristled at the far too accurate words.  “That is not what I was doing.”

“It seemed that way to me, quite frankly it still does.”  Seeing the indignation rising in the other woman, Hestia sat back in her chair and smiled. “You had a desire for something else, something better.”

“Who doesn’t.”

“Many people, but not me, and neither do I think, you.  I saw something in you then Agatha but at the time I didn’t know exactly what.  I thought it was just that you wanted what your sister had, I believe you thought the same.  I knew I didn’t want that, but it was only when I moved on that I discovered what I was searching for.  And although it took me some time to realise it, I think what I found might be exactly what you need.”

Agatha rolled her eyes. “That sounds extremely presumptuous, especially considering you really don’t know me.  After all, we only had a short fling that went nowhere.”

“That is true, but I know you, Agatha.  What’s more I know people who are like you, people who can understand you in a way nobody else ever has.”

It was then that Agatha started to listen.  Never had she felt fully understood or that she had belonged.  At times she had been close to that feeling, try as she might she couldn’t deny that Ada, her mother and even Hecate had tried to include her in aspects of their lives over the years, but it had never felt right.  Even her nieces weren’t enough. She cared about Seren and Celeste, truly she did, but even she could admit it was a selfish kind of love. She could never have loved them unconditionally the way Ada and Hecate did. She could not have dealt with the sickness and smelly nappies and childhood nonsense that she had happily walked away from over the years.  She loved the affection of course, but it didn’t fill the gap. Besides, she had already blotted her copybook with Seren, it wouldn’t be long before Celeste saw through the gifts and empty promises, and perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. 

“Where have you gone?”

Hestia’s words had brought Agatha back from her thoughts.

“Nowhere.” Agatha calmly took a sip of her drink.  “But maybe you’ll tell me about where you have been, about all these people who apparently need me so much.”

“I think you need us.”  Hestia raised her eyebrows as if issuing a challenge.  “But I do believe you could find your place, your freedom, just as I have.”

The two women were still talking well into the early hours of the morning. At first, the idea seeming so far removed from anything Agatha may have even a passing interest in. 

“A coven?  Hestia, you really don’t know me at all. And pray-tell, what is it called? The Magical Mystery Group?  Utopia? Shangri-La? ”

“It’s not what you think Agatha.  You’re used to covens where the magic is shared and everything is done according to the Witches Code.  This is different,  _ we _ are different. We are called _Magicis Libertas_ and we look for witches who are not afraid to embrace just that, magical freedom.  Witches who are willing to go beyond the code and use our power in the way we believe it was intended to be used, not how society tells us we should.”

“And just how do you believe magic should be used?”

Hestia smirked, knowing that what she was going to say was just what Agatha had been looking for all these years.  “For power, to weed out the weaker magical beings and build our abilities. We want to live in a world where we have control, not one where we bow down to Wizards and those who insist on the traditional approach.  There is so much more to magic than that, I believe that and I know you do too.”

Agatha’s eyes grew wide as suddenly every thought she had about magic seemed to be a possibility, faint right now but still, closer to reality than it had ever been before.  “How did you find them?”, she whispered.

“I met our Great Witch, Adrestia when I was at my lowest ebb, she listened to my fears that I was wasting my life and offered me a place with them. Since then our numbers have grown with my help.  I seem to have a knack for finding people who fit in and Agatha, I know you are one of those people.”

The idea that there was a leader intrigued Agatha.  Even if she wasn’t one to do well when it came to figures of authority, it was yet another difference between this and the other covens she knew of. “So what, you expect me to just up and join you and this group of strangers?”

“Well, what’s keeping you here?”, Hestia watched as Agatha allowed the notion to pass through her mind.  There was one final area to be discussed but she was confident that she would manage that, just as she had with her other recruits.

Agatha was tempted, but it still sounded too good to be true.  “What’s the catch?”

“There is none. There are rules, for example, you are expected to stay away from your family and friends for five years.  From what you’ve said I’m not sure that will be a problem for you.”

“Not necessarily.”  Agatha did feel a pang at the idea of not seeing Seren or Celeste, or even Ada, at all but she pushed it away.  “I am curious as to the reason why though”

Hestia was ready with the answer.  “We believe that our power will grow by honing our skills and staying in contact with only like-minded people, especially at the beginning.  After you will have built up a barrier, Adrestia believes that five years is adequate time for this. After this, you may, if you choose, mix outside the group.” 

“And what are those years filled with?”

Again, Hestia was ready.  “We work together to build on our magical skills and find new, smarter, ways to use them.  We also train our minds to remove any unproductive thoughts”

“That sounds like a lot of work to me.” 

“It is so much more than that. There is also a huge amount of freedom, people can be who they want to be in a way they can’t in the world outside. For some people that is enough, they enjoy the freedom of exploring different facets of magic or even the non-magical world that are frowned upon by the Witch’s Council. However, someone like you, once you’re ready, Adrestia will likely provide you with a distinct role.”

Agatha was curious as to what her role may be and already imagining herself taking over from the faceless Adrestia as leader some day. “Someone like me you say?  What exactly would she base that offering on?”

This was where Hestia had to position her answer very carefully.  “There are various factors. How well your training goes is one but you may earn a more influential role by other means.”

“Oh?”

“If you have the means you may be granted a greater position.  For example, we are all expected to make a monetary contribution to the coven. Those who can give more have been known to move up the ranks more swiftly than others.”

Suddenly feeling a mix of suspicion and worry that she wouldn’t be able to afford to be part of this _‘Magicis Libertas'_ or whatever it was called, Agatha asked a direct question.  “How much did you contribute?”

Hestia answered honestly.  “To begin with I contributed the proceeds from the sale of my house.  As time went on I sold some other assets and happily donated that money to the coven.”  Then, she dropped what she hoped would be the hook Agatha needed. “You don’t need to give much to begin with, even proof that you have access to resources is enough until you have finished your training.”

“You seem very sure that I have access to assets Hestia dear.”

“I know you do Agatha.  And I know you can think of far better uses for that castle than a magical academy, can’t you?”

Watching Hestia as she spoke, Agatha still could not see the resemblance to her irritating sister-in-law to be-and didn’t that title make her blood boil-but one thing was crystal clear.  This woman offered her an opportunity, and Agatha never looked a gift horse in the mouth. “Perhaps I can.”

Much to Agatha’s frustration, raising the initial joining fee was slightly more complicated than she had hoped.  Never one use her own resources unless she had to, she originally intended to take what she could from her mother’s office.  Unfortunately Celeste had thwarted that idea, meaning it had to be plan B. And so, several weeks later, when she had sold the paintings and jewellery Granny Cackle had left her, it was time to say goodbye to her old life.

Hestia stood next to Agatha on the day of Ada and Hecate’s wedding, knowing that behind the mask there was still some reluctance to say goodbye. That would fade, the training would help but more importantly, the focus on what was to come for them both would keep Agatha focused and driven. 

“We must go now.” 

“Yes.”, Agatha agreed. 

“How do you feel?”

In truth, Agatha wasn’t sure how to answer.  “My emotions are rather mixed.”

“That’s normal at this stage, you feel torn, but as long as you keep doing what we instruct you to do, that will pass. And remember, this part isn’t forever, you will see them in the future if that is what you want, though you will be different then.

“I know.” Agatha stood up tall and turned to face her companion.  “I’m ready.”

With that Hestia had achieved her goal.  Agatha was all in. Later they would discuss it and she would admit that there had been a certain element of selfishness on her behalf in recruiting her old flame. But one thing had been absolutely true, Agatha Cackle would fit right in and together, they would do exactly what Adrestia wanted from them. At least until it was time to take her place.  

Hestia knew she couldn’t do it alone but luckily for her, she knew there was someone who had come into her life years before, not for romance as they had first thought, but because they each wanted, no, needed, much more than that.  Respect, obedience and especially power, there was no doubt in Hestia’s mind that Agatha craved these things as much as she did and together, they would get just what they deserved. 

* * *

 

“How wrong she was to believe in me.”  Her thoughts drifting back to the present, Agatha knocked back the last of her whiskey and thought of Hestia and the others, who had fully trusted that the task they had planned for years would be carried out.  Hestia had been right about something, she was a good recruiter and she had a knack for picking just the right type of witch, especially those like Marigold Mould, reverential to Adrestia on the surface, but ready to follow Agatha and Hestia once they had overthrown the current Grand Witch. And the time for that to happen was fast approaching.

Access to the castle had been the jewel in their crown, a proper base from which to run the coven with access to Hecate and Ada’s many magical books and ingredients, not to mention the hidden treasures that Agatha knew were hidden throughout her childhood home.   But Agatha had ruined it, she had rushed the plan, not bided her time and covered all her bases as they had agreed, and as a result she had failed. 

“Why can’t things just go my way?”

This was a feeling that Agatha was far too familiar with, that sense of hopefulness, of not having anyone who could help her. She could have contacted Hestia of course, but that would mean admitting her failure and she was not prepared to do that. But what else was she to do?  She had time, they had discussed this taking a couple of months, if not longer. Agatha was to ingratiate herself back with her family and then execute her coup. And as far as Adrestia was concerned, she had gone back to syphon off whatever powerful magic she could take from the school so it wasn’t like anyone would be expecting her.

_ “You were always a bad girl, but this time you’ve gone too far.”   _

Just as she was ready to give up, the words of Gwendolyn Bat as Agatha sat, waiting like a child for her mother, came back to her.  And just as intended, they caused Agatha to see the error of her ways, though not as she would have expected. 

“I didn’t go too far, that’s the problem, I didn't go far enough.”  Suddenly Agatha was back on her feet, swaying slightly due to the alcohol, but also filled with something else, hope.  “I may be down but I’m not out yet.” 

Grabbing a pen and piece of paper, she started to list her ideas.  The lack of magic was a problem of course but there had to be ways around that.  She remembered hearing once about a witch who had taken magic from a younger witch. Well, she had just left a school full of young witches, including one girl who had left an impression on Agatha for all the wrong reasons. “Enjoy your magic while you can Mildred Hubble, I’ll soon be back to take it off your hands.  Now, if I could only figure out how to get back in.” 

The effect of the whiskey was lessening as Agatha’s devious mind worked overtime.  She needed help, but who? Dimity Drill? “Hmm, the potion earlier worked well on her but, no, she’s too close to Ada.”  For a moment she thought of her nieces “No, they’re at University.”, she reminded herself, although deep down she knew that wasn’t the true reason. Even for her and even after everything that had happened over the past five years, involving Seren and Celeste  _ would _ be taking things too far. 

“Gullet.” Agatha had a feeling there was more to the Spell Science teacher than met the eye.  It was a trick she had learned from Hestia: watch the facial expressions, look for signs of interest in the eyes.  There was no question in Agatha’s mind that Miss Gullet, like Marigold, could be convinced to step to the other side. 

“That part I can start working on straight away. I’ll need to get my hands on a magic mirror but I’m sure I can convince Mother that it’s essential.”

With the beginning of her plan in place, Agatha allowed herself to give in to the tiredness that was taking over her body.  She made her way to the bedroom, undressed and flopped on top of the bed she had shared with her sister so many times over the years. Just before she drifted into sleep there was another voice from the past ready to make an appearance, her own reminding her what she used to tell herself when things went wrong in the past.

“It’s not your time.”

However, Agatha now knew that the sentence was not complete.  There was more to be added and this would be the mantra that would get her through the weeks or months of waiting that lay ahead. 

“It’s not my time now, but it soon will be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here is where we leave this one. 
> 
> Once I heard Marigold Mould's explanation of where she came from, an idea came to my head, a magical cult, or in this case, a coven that looks for freedom from the rules of magic- Magicis Libertas. 
> 
> From here I decided to weave two plots together, Ada and Hecate raising their daughters while running the school, and Agatha, who had still not found her own purpose in life, desperately looking for something that made feel her as fulfilled as her sister. 
> 
> Of course it's not that simple. Agatha is cunning and clever in her own way, but she doesn't think things through. She relies on bluff and quick fixes, she always seems to want what everyone else has without being willing to put in the hard work. This, to me, is where she falls down and what I hope I showed here. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone for reading and commenting. Most importantly, thank you to S. for encouraging me to keep going, for beta reading and for giving me some great ideas.


End file.
